


Blue Lights

by ttacticianmagician



Series: Children of a Blue Crest [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crest Experimentation, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Some Fluff, Torture, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:54:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 43,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22644457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ttacticianmagician/pseuds/ttacticianmagician
Summary: A 13-year-old Dimitri follows his stepmother through the flames of Duscur and winds up in the hands of those who slither in the dark. His body is poked and prodded, his blood is drained dry, and his Crest is abused for nefarious purposes no one could have ever imagined. But his spirit remains unbroken, due to a fellow prisoner that resides in the cell across from his.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Dedue Molinaro
Series: Children of a Blue Crest [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649896
Comments: 67
Kudos: 85





	1. Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I've been working diligently on for a while and actually managed to finish. The first part, anyway. So updates for this will be posted frequently, like maybe once a day or once every other day? It depends on how well this fic is received I guess.
> 
> Some disclaimers before I get started:
> 
> 1\. This fic will have a lot of headcanons. A bunch of them are about Patricia, Dimitri's stepmother. Since we don't know a lot about her character, motivations, or her fate, I've taken some liberties with her in order to fit the plot better. I'm sorry if you don't agree with them, but this is an AU fic so I'm not saying that my interpretations are even close to canon.
> 
> 2\. Content warning for: blood, needles, racism, suicide, and suicide ideation. I don't really want to mention content warnings for each chapter they appear in, in order to avoid spoiling things. Also this may not be a complete list, more warnings may be added as I think of them.
> 
> 3\. I have no idea if this warrants a Mature rating? I'm rating it as M to be on the safe side.
> 
> 4\. I tagged this as Dimitri & Dedue because their relationship is platonic, but they do get rather close to each other in a familial way? No romance here because they're not of age.
> 
> 5\. This first chapter is the only chapter in Patricia's POV. I decided to write it from her perspective just because it felt right, but afterwards, the story will be mostly in Dimitri's POV.
> 
> And hopefully that's it for now. This introduction may change later, as needed. For now, I hope you enjoy this story!

"Stepmother, can I ride in your carriage?"

That straightforward question elicited a panicked glance from Patricia. She stared into her stepson's widened eyes, fumbling for a response that wouldn't let him down and convey her refusal. She did love him and ordinarily wouldn't have hesitated to say yes. But today wasn't a good day for his request.

"Don't you want to ride with your father?" She eventually asked. "There is plenty of room in his carriage."

Dimitri shook his head. "I already rode with him on the way here. I want to ride with you back."

Patricia sighed deeply. Currently, the convoy was preparing to depart from Duscur. Servants were loading supplies into wagons, knights were checking on the state of their carriages and horses, and her husband was nowhere to be seen. He was probably ironing out last minute details with the assembled Duscur chieftains and was far too busy to be disturbed by such an unimportant question.

"Please?" Dimitri asked once more. His blue eyes grew even bigger and sparkled with childlike innocence. 

Patricia pondered about the events that would unfold tonight and what would happen if Dimitri was with her instead of his father. She didn't want to go through with it, but she had no choice. She had to see her daughter again, even if it costed her new family everything. But maybe if Dimitri was by her side, she would be able to keep him alive…

She sighed again, silently praying to the goddess for her sins both past and future.

"I suppose there's no harm in riding with me. But please, stick closely to me."

"I will, stepmother." The young prince answered, unaware of the weight his words carried. "Thank you."

* * *

With each step they took, they inhaled the scent of smoke and death.

A raging fire had broken out during the middle of their trip. If it was just a simple wildfire, they wouldn't have needed to leave their carriage. A platoon of mages would be able to smother the flames with an all encompassing wind spell. But they also heard the scrape of steel and the screams of the slaughtered echoing outside. Whoever was attacking them made quick work of the many guards that accompanied the royal family. It was only a matter of time before their ambushers reached their carriage. Although Patricia knew that she herself would be safe from them, she also knew that her stepson wasn't guaranteed the same protection.

So they ran. Patricia wrapped her cloak around Dimitri's head, shielding him from the horrific sights around him. She spotted numerous bodies without heads or with large, bloody gashes that dyed their armor red. She noticed the mysterious men dressed in black robes that proclaimed no allegiance. Worst of all, she saw the lifeless corpse of her husband, King Lambert, decapitated and scorched by flames. The sight almost broke her resolve, but she had to keep going. 

Dimitri held onto her tightly, blissfully unaware of the massacre taking place. If she had her way, she would keep it like that for just a bit longer. They reached the edge of the blaze without further trouble. Patricia swiped a lance off a dead soldier and unwrapped her cloak from Dimitri's eyes.

"Stepmother, what's going on?" Dimitri whimpered. 

"Dimitri. Listen to me. You must run away. Very far away." Patricia said, her voice wavering from the tears stuck in her throat. She managed to stand tall amidst the flames and deaths, yet it was a simple goodbye that stripped her of her courage.

"Where am I running to? Where's father? Where's Glenn?"

"They can't follow you right now. Just run until you find the other knights. And take this."

She shoved the lance into Dimitri's hands. It was far too big for his 13-year-old body, but he deftly wielded it like the veteran soldier it was meant for.

"Kill anyone that isn't wearing Faerghus colors. That's the only way you'll survive."

"Kill…?" He repeated.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Dimitri, for forcing this burden upon you." Patricia pulled into one last hug. "Please, stay safe and live well."

"Stepmother! What are you saying? Aren't you coming with me?"

"I can't. I'm so, so sorry." She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They streamed down her face, cleaning her cheeks of ash, but they couldn't wash away her sins.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, when you learn of what happened here. All I can ask from you is to always remember that I love you."

"Stepmother…"

Approaching footsteps warned her that there wasn't much time left. Patricia shoved Dimitri away, towards a grove of trees that would provide cover for her stepson. But instead of running away, he stood his ground and brandished his lance at the men behind her. 

"No! Dimitri, run!" She shouted.

"It took long enough to find you." A chilling voice drawled behind her. "We were afraid that you were getting cold feet."

Patricia whirled around and came face to face with a masked dark mage. The ornate patterns on the hem of his robes signified his high rank. There was no doubt that he was the one to collect her. But why did he have to show up now, before Dimitri got away?

"Stepmother, who is he?" Dimitri's grief was replaced by confusion. He still pointed his lance at the dark mage, but his shoulders relaxed a tiny bit.

"Dimitri, just go! You must leave now!"

"What? Why?!" Her stepson cried out. His puzzled expression then morphed into a furious one. "If he's kidnapping you, then I'll… protect you from him! I'll kill him if I must!"

He resumed a fighting stance again. The dark mage laughed at this child's attempt to save her. "How adorable. You really think you can best me?"

He lifted a hand, conjuring a sphere of dark energy in his palm. Before Dimitri could react, the mage flung his spell into his chest, knocking him to the ground. Thankfully, he didn't die from the magical attack, although his pained groans and sluggish movements showed that he wouldn't be getting up for a while.

"DIMITRI!" Patricia screamed. She wanted to run to his side and comfort him, but that wouldn't spare him from the mage. She needed to leave now, before Dimitri attempted another foolish move.

"I didn't imagine that you had grown that attached to your false family." The dark mage taunted. "But no matter. You have shown where your loyalties truly lie. Now come, before the other knights get here."

The dark mage grabbed Patricia's wrist and dragged her away from Dimitri. Her tears evaporated as they stepped closer into the roaring flames. She thought this was it, this was goodbye, but a feral yell behind her indicated that her worst fear had come true.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Dimitri sprinted up to the dark mage, lance in hand. A star-like symbol made of blue light flashed in front of the prince's chest before he plunged his spear into the mage's side. The mage howled in pain and let go of Patricia. Without his support, she fell to the ground, only to be helped up by Dimitri.

"Don't worry, mother. I got you." He gasped. He wore a faint smile of encouragement despite the fire burning around them. The fire she had caused.

"Dimitri…" Patricia stared at him, mouth agape from amazement. Then she vigorously shook her head.

"Please. Leave me here. You must go. Now! Before he gets back up!"

She yanked her arms out of his grasp. He let out a yelp of anguish and clung onto her again. "No! I'm not letting him take you!"

"Please, Dimitri! Do as I say!" She pleaded with tears in her eyes. She tried to pull away from him again, but his unnatural strength made that feat impossible. To make matters worse, she heard a low growl from the body behind them. Slowly, the dark mage stood up, without caring about the blood dripping from his grievous wound. Dimitri displayed his lance again, threatening to stab him again if he took one step closer. Instead of backing down, the mage just cackled.

"What a powerful Crest you have." Even through his mask, Patricia could feel his piercing gaze. "The Crest of Blaiddyd, was it?"

"Leave him alone!" Patricia stepped in between her stepson and the mage. "You have me, don't you? Taking him wasn't part of the plan!"

"Neither was letting the little whelp escape." The mage hissed. "We told you that we would kill everyone here except you. And yet here you are, having second thoughts that might cost us our mission. I should just save ourselves the trouble and kill both of you before reinforcements arrive."

"Don't you dare touch him!"

"Mother, what is he talking about?"

"Ah, no matter. We still have time to salvage this."

The dark mage lifted a hand. Patricia feared another spell, and prepared herself to take the blow meant for her stepson. But instead of being attacked from the front, she heard ominous chanting from behind. She whirled around just in time to see another dark mage firing off a fiery, purple projectile. It slammed squarely into Dimitri's back. His bloodcurdling scream broke her already broken heart. Then he collapsed, his useless lance rolling out of his limp hands.

"NO!" This time, Patricia knelt down beside him. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt a sluggish pulse beneath her fingers. But she wasn't allowed a lot of time with him before the unconscious body was snatched away by more dark mages. She yelled something angry and nonsensical, reaching out to pull Dimitri back, but a heavy pair of hands gripped her shoulder, immobilizing her in place. 

"Do not worry, Patricia." The first dark mage spoke confidently, satisfied with his success. "We will treat that brat well. It's not everyday that we capture a natural bearer of the Crest of Blaiddyd."

Patricia couldn't speak. No words she could muster would make up for what happened to her husband, his knights, and his kingdom. Nor will she be able to apologize for what will happen to his stepson. She could only sob as she was led away from the unspeakable tragedy and towards what she was promised.


	2. Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and his stepmother are taken away to an unfamiliar place to meet a familiar face.

Dimitri woke up to find his head in Patricia's lap. Her hands were stroking his tangled hair and ash covered cheeks. A familiar lullaby emanated from her lips, one that she sang to him many times before. When she noticed that he was awake, she paused her song and rested her fingers over his eyes. Dimitri lifted his own hands to move them away but immediately became aware that they were bound together at the wrists by straps of metal.

"Stepmother?" He whispered. His voice was hoarse from inhaling smoke and screaming at their kidnappers.

"Dimitri…" Patricia sounded relieved, despite the state he was in. He brushed her fingers away from his eyes to take in their surroundings.

They were currently inside a carriage not unlike the one they rode in earlier. But this time, they were accompanied by a dark mage seated across from them. Dimitri, remembering what his kin and done to him, bolted upright. If it weren't for the handcuffs on his wrists, he might have punched that mask off his stupid face.

Instead he glared at him, hoping to appear as a formidable foe rather than a weak child. "What are you doing here? You better not have harmed my stepmother!"

"Calm down, Dimitri." Patricia wrapped her arms around her shoulders and slowly pulled him into a hug from behind. "He isn't here to hurt us."

"But he attacked me! And kidnapped us!" He growled before turning to the dark mage. "If you're truly on our side, then release me from my handcuffs and let us go!"

"I do apologize for that." The dark mage's words actually sounded sincere. "But after you stabbed an ally, we couldn't take any chances. Rest assured, you and your stepmother are esteemed guests, not prisoners."

Dimitri scoffed and rattled the chain on his handcuffs. "If this is how you treat guests, I'd hate to see how you treat prisoners."

"You'll find that out if you keep testing my patience."

Dimitri would have retorted back but the dark mage's threat seemed genuine. Remembering the numerous magic spells he endured, he opted to stay quiet and look around. Outside the windows, the snowy mountains of Duscur were replaced by verdant, windswept plains. Based on what he saw, either this carriage moved quickly or he was unconscious for longer than he thought.

"Where are we going anyway?" He broke the silence with the most innocuous voice he could muster.

"Try asking your stepmother." The dark mage snorted.

Dimitri turned around and met Patricia's forlorn gaze. She averted her eyes, unable to handle the question forming on his tongue. 

"Stepmother, where are we going?"

Patricia sighed. She seemed reluctant to answer at first, but when she spoke, a faint smile lit up her otherwise gloomy face. "We are going to see El."

"El?" Dimitri couldn't believe her at first. His friend had left Fhirdiad so suddenly, claiming a vague reason for her departure. He never thought that they would meet again. And now, after suffering through a life-threatening fire and being kidnapped by shady robed men, they were on their way to see her?

He wanted to be as happy as Patricia was but something didn't add up. "Stepmother, why do we have to go with these men in order to visit her? Why isn't father with us?"

Patricia averted her gaze. She withdrew her arms to wring her hands, leaving his shoulders bare.

"I loved your father but he can be… overprotective. He didn't trust me around anyone from the Empire. He was afraid that my brother would whisk me away from him like he whisked me away from my first husband. So when he came to Fhirdiad with El, your father forbade me to see them.”

Dimitri gasped. "Why didn't you tell me any of this? I could have talked to father! Or I could have snuck El into the palace!"

"It doesn't matter now." She shook her head. "These men promised a way to bring me to her. I just didn't expect you to come with me as well."

"And that way is…?"

Patricia choked on a sob in response to Dimitri's question. As much as he wanted to deny it, her lack of an answer confirmed what he feared. His stepmother was responsible for the attack on the caravan in Duscur.

"Why?" That was all he could ask. "Why would you go through such lengths to see El? Is it because she's a princess of the Empire?"

"No. It's because…" She took a moment to wipe away her tears. "It's because El is my daughter."

"Daughter?" Dimitri blinked. "That would mean she's…"

"She's your stepsister." Patricia nodded. "I only wish that you two would have been reunited under better circumstances."

Dimitri thought that these answers would clear things up, but they only made his head spin more. He still had so many questions. Like was his father really so cruel, he wouldn't let a mother see her daughter? What did the dark mages hope to gain by ambushing the royal family? How did the former wife of the Adrestian emperor end up marrying the king of Faerghus? He wanted to ask these questions and many more, but the sorrowful look on Patricia's face stopped him. Dimitri understood her intense desire to see El again. But what she had to do in return was obviously eating at the little enthusiasm she had left. He did his best to slip his fingers in between hers while he was still wearing the handcuffs.

"Don't worry, stepmother." He tried to keep his voice straight. "I'm sure once we return to father, he won't be as angry as you think."

"Dimitri…" She opened her mouth to say something else, but ended up sobbing. She pulled him into another hug and held onto him for a long while, as if she hoped this embrace would tell him what her tongue could not.

Dimitri didn't say anything. He just let her cry out her regrets into his ash-ladened shirt. If what he garnered from her was correct, that the dark mages weren't going to let them leave, then he wouldn't resign to such a fate so easily. Those dastards severely underestimated the resolve of the crown prince of Faerghus. 

While Patricia quieted down into silent heaves, Dimitri tested the handcuffs that bound him. If he called upon his Crest, he might be able to break them. He shook them ever so slightly to test their strength. Unfortunately, the jingle of steel alerted the dark mage to his plans. He held up a gloved palm, accumulating shadowy energy over it.

"Nuh uh uh. I wouldn't do that if I were you." He taunted.

"Dimitri, it's alright." Her voice didn't match her words. "Don't do anything rash. We're almost to El."

Dimitri just gave the dark mage a dirty look before settling down. True to her word, the carriage arrived several hours later at a small and simple manor that hardly befitted a princess of the Adrestian Empire. Night had already fallen and the two of them were ushered around too quickly for Dimitri to take in his surroundings, but nothing really stood out to him anyway. The only peculiarity about this manor was a tiny, empty room with a glowing tile in the middle. Once they stepped on it, Dimitri's vision blurred. 

When he regained his senses, he found himself in a strange room with walls made out of metal and blue lights. An unmasked dark mage in a corner greeted them. He blinked in surprise at his pale purple skin and pupiless eyes. Then they were hurriedly guided to more unfamiliar rooms, each one stranger than the last. More pallid people roamed the hallways, varying in shapes, sizes, and outfits. Some of them carried strange looking devices that made his skin crawl. Others sprouted writhing black tails tipped with razor sharp stingers. He clung to his stepmother's side, afraid of accidentally stepping out of line and incurring the wrath of these bizarre creatures. Patricia gave him a comforting pat in return. He could see that her eyes were brimming with fear from all that was around her, but also filled with courage. Of course she would look so determined, when her beloved daughter was within reach.

They ended their brief tour in a poorly illuminated corridor. They passed by several large windows that offered glimpses into pitch black rooms. The only window that was lit up was the one at the end of the hallway. Upon seeing what was inside, Patricia gasped in shock and Dimitri pressed his face against the glass.

"El?" He murmured. The girl laying on a table was instantly recognizable, even when unconscious. Her body was wrapped in a white gown, her limbs were tied down with thick metal cuffs, and her skin was poked with several needles connected to thin tubing. Some kind of translucent mask covered her face, and attached to that mask were more tubes that led to an object Dimitri couldn't begin to describe. But a masked man next to her seemed to know what it is, judging from how intently he stared at the numbers and words on it.

"What have you done to her?" Patricia whispered in a horrified tone.

"She is… ill." The dark mage stammered out. Even a naive child like Dimitri noticed that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Is she really that sick, to require so much intervention?" Patricia turned her attention back to the dark mage. "Please, you must allow me by her side!"

"I'm afraid that isn't possible. She is currently in a fragile state. Any outside factors might exacerbate her condition."

"Outsider factors?! I'm her mother!" She shouted in a violent manner.

While the two of them argued, Dimitri continued to watch the ongoings on the other side of the glass. The dark mage in the white room retrieved a bag filled with red liquid and clipped in onto the device attached to Edelgard. It was only when the bag's contents was pumped through a tube that led into her arm that he realized that the fluid was blood. Edelgard panted heavily, even in her deep slumber. She tossed and turned for a moment or two before letting out a yell. Her thrashing and screaming became more frantic as the bag was emptied into her body. If it weren't for the cuffs holding her down, she would have catapulted herself off the table. Meanwhile, the observing dark mage took notes and did nothing to quell her tantrum.

"What are you doing?!" Patricia shrieked. "You're hurting her!"

"This is a necessary part of the procedure!" The dark mage with Patricia raised his voice too. "She may look like she's in pain, but she will be better afterwards!"

"What procedure is this?! I cannot allow you to continue when it's torturing her!"

"It's not something that can be easily explained to a beast like you!"

"Beast?! Who are you calling a beast?!"

Edelgard's shrieks of pain did not abate when all the blood was drained away. Dimitri had to do something to help her, especially now that he knew they were stepsiblings. 

And the best way to save her was to stop whatever procedure was going on. Dimitri strained against the restraints in his hands, willing his Crest to manifest at this critical moment. He never had a decent grasp on it like his father did. Either his Crest of Blaiddyd couldn't be summoned during training, which led to many a defeat, or it flared up at inopportune times, causing things to break. Right now, he could care less about subtlety. He wanted things, specifically these handcuffs, to break. 

His Crest finally appeared in a flash of blue light. The chain split apart, leaving two steel rings on each of his wrists. He then drove his fists into the window that separated him and Edelgard. His Crest blinked with every punch, providing him with the strength to pulverize the glass in three solid blows. The resounding shatter drowned out the dark mage's yelps and Patricia's screams. Before they could hold him back, Dimitri leaped through the hole and into the room.

"El!" He started tearing all those unnatural tubes and needles off of her. "Wake up! It's me, Dimitri! I'm here to save you!"

She did not respond. In fact, her face was contorted in even more pain. The dark mage next to him spoke in her stead.

"What are you doing?! Don't take those off! You're interrupting a very delicate process!"

"No! Back off!" Dimitri emphasized his refusal with a punch to the mage's face. The mage flew backwards and slammed into the weird device with numbers. Once he was taken care of, Dimitri continued to untangle Edelgard from the contraption she was connected to. But such a feat required more time than he had. He was only able to smash the cuffs on her limbs and pull off her mask before Patricia and the other dark mage stormed into the room.

"El!" He shouted again. He held her petite body in her arms. He had half a mind to just yank her away, but that might actually do more harm than good, judging from how much blood dripped from her puncture wounds. Instead, he tried to shake her awake. 

"El! Wake up! Please tell me you're ok!"

Miraculously, her eyes moved under her eyelids before opening up a little bit.

"Dim…?" Edelgard croaked. She sounded absolutely fatigued and miserable, but to him, her utterance might as well have belonged to an angel.

A swirling ball of shadowy flames struck Dimitri's head. He dropped Edelgard back onto the table on the way to the ground. Before his head hit the floor, he spotted his stepmother crying. He hated seeing her this upset. He wished that he could do something for her, like what he did for Edelgard. But after being blasted by magic again, he could do nothing but succumb to the encroaching darkness a second time.


	3. Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A key player makes herself known.

This time, Dimitri woke up alone on a cold, stony cot.

It shouldn't surprise him that he was thrown into a cell after what he did for Edelgard. But regardless, he found himself missing his stepmother's warm hands and gentle voice. And he did not miss these handcuffs at all. In addition to the binds on his hands, there was also a cuff on his ankle that was attached to a leg of the cot. The chain was long enough to allow him to pace around the perimeter of his room, although it wasn't like he needed to. The cell was incredibly barren and he could glean nothing of importance from beyond its barred walls. There was only another empty jail cell like his across the hallway.

After Dimitri regained his bearings, he immediately tried hatching an escape plan. He called upon his Crest again and managed to summon it quickly enough. The starry symbol flashed while he attempted to tear his metal binds apart. But try as he might, they didn't move an inch. He stared at the cuffs more closely and noticed that they were made of a different material than the last ones. He didn't even know there was a metal that could withstand the Crest of Blaiddyd. Who were these people, if they could obtain such a thing so easily?

It was time for his second plan. Dimitri gripped onto the bars that separated him from freedom. As soon as he laid his hands on them, he yanked them back and yelped loudly. They didn't look hot in the slightest, but they scorched his hands when he touched them. Or did they? His short-lived escape attempt didn't leave any sort of burn marks on his palms. Perhaps it was magic. Yes, that must be it. With how proficient everyone here was with dark magic, it would be natural to assume they could hex these bars to be hot, but not actually hot.

His last plan involved the walls. He placed a hand on them to make sure they weren't enchanted in the same way as the bars. He was relieved to feel a natural, magic-free chill. Once he confirmed them to be safe, he plunged a Crest-powered fist into the wall. And another. And another. He wasn't used to using his Crest so many times in a short period. Dimitri was going to exhaust himself like this, but he had no choice. He had to get out of here. He had to rescue Edelgard and his stepmother. He had to-

His legs gave out, causing him to collapse on the floor. The wall remained unscathed. He stared at the blank surface, devoid of any mark of his struggle against it, and couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes. It was like the dark mages were anticipating his arrival and prepared accommodations just for him and his Crest. What could he do now?

His noisy bid for freedom caught the dark mages' attention. Not long after he gave up, the clatter of high heels approached his cell. Dimitri glanced up and found a decidedly feminine mage standing at the door. Her skin was a pale purple like the others, but her hair was a striking hot pink color that fell in curls to her shoulders and her piercing eyes were the shade of blood. Even though she belonged to a foreign organization, her dress was reminiscent of the ones gremories of the Kingdom wore, complete with feathers and curves.

"Are you done yet?" The mage sounded exasperated, like she was dealing with a child who threw a temper tantrum.

"Who are you?" Dimitri snapped back. "What have you done to my stepmother?"

"Oh? That sad old thing?" The mage scoffed. "Who knows? Taking care of one beast is already one too many for me."

"Don't call her a beast!" He would have lunged at her if it were for his restraints. "I demand to speak to my stepmother! She and I were supposed to be guests, not prisoners!"

"And who told you that? Let me guess, one of Thales’s minions?" She seemed reluctant to utter the unfamiliar name. "That man holds no meaning here. This is my domain, and I say you're not even a prisoner. You are nothing more than livestock."

"Why you-!"

Without thinking, Dimitri charged at her. He collided into the magically hot bars and recoiled from the invisible burns they inflicted. The mage let out a sinister laugh at his pathetic display.

"Now, now. I'd like to give you some food, but if you're going to act like that, then I'm afraid of even getting close to you."

Dimitri didn't mean to perk up, but upon the mention of food, he was suddenly aware of his pangs of hunger. If he wanted to escape, then he needed to keep his strength up. That meant conceding defeat in order to obtain nourishment.

"That's a good boy." The mage cooed in a sickly sweet tone that made him want to vomit. She gestured towards an unseen guard who gave her a tray of food. She then passed it through a small slit near the bottom of the bars. Dimitri snatched it away from her as soon as it touched the floor. The bread, fruit, and yogurt seemed meager, but they instantly satisfied his stomach when he scarfed them all down.

"Eat up. You'll need all your energy for what comes next."

"What comes next?" Dimitri asked. He knew that such a question was pointless, since these mages undoubtedly liked to keep their secrets, but he couldn't help himself anyway.

"Oh, just some tests." She replied in a coy fashion. "We need to obtain a baseline before we really begin our research."

Dimitri didn't like the sound of that. But since the mage was being surprisingly cooperative, he decided to push his luck further.

"Research? What kind of research? Is it about my Crest?" He vaguely recalled a dark mage expressing interest in it earlier, in the fires of Duscur.

"My my. Aren't you a smart boy? Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough."

She turned to leave. Dimitri didn't want their conversation to be done yet. He scooched closer to the bars and shouted out his last question.

"Could you tell me your name at least?"

The mage gave him a furtive glance just before she stepped out of view. "You can call me Bias. We'll be spending a lot of time together, so you better remember it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. I considered merging this into the next one, but then the focus would be all over the place. Next chapter will have a bit more meat to it!


	4. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri punches another dark mage and makes a new friend(?).

The first round of tests did not go well.

Soon after Bias introduced herself, Dimitri was brought into a room flooded with stark white lighting and equally white equipment. It reminded him of the room that Edelgard was stuck in, and remembering her and her suffering made him antsy. He became even more anxious when Bias and her assistants strapped him down to a table.

"Wh-what are you going to do with that?" He whimpered as a dark mage pulled out a needle attached to the vial.

"I'm just going to use it to collect blood samples." He replied simply.

"Is it going to hurt?"

"If you keep asking questions, then yes."

That did not reassure him at all. When the needle pricked his skin, he howled loudly and struggled against his restraints. It did hurt a lot, although not nearly as much as the welts he obtained during his weapon training. But the mystery behind their methods, what they were going to use his blood for and what they will lead to, made the pain so much worse.

The adrenaline from this ordeal must have reached his tired Crest. It flared to life, allowing him to break free of his cuffs. While his sudden strength surprised all those around him, he slammed his fists into the dark mage collecting his blood. The dark mage was launched backwards into the wall. The vial he was holding fell to the ground and shattered. Blueish green liquid spewing from the mage's smashed nose dripped into red puddle that pooled around his feet.

Dimitri tried to break the other cuff, but his burst of strength was short lived. It wouldn't tear off no matter how much he pulled at it, not without his Crest. With a flick of her wrists, Bias casted a spell that pinned his hands down back onto the table.

"You complete and utter imbeciles!" She shrieked at her partners. "Why did you not procure a room to the specifications that I ordered?!"

"A-apologies, milady." One of the dark mages stuttered. "I wasn't aware of how strong this subject is."

"It was in my report, was it not?"

"Yes, but-"

"Let me guess, you didn't read it."

Her venomous tone frightened the offending dark mage so much, he shrank back into a corner, refusing to meet her eye. She glowered at him for long seconds while she maintained the spell that immobilized Dimitri. After she was done silently intimidating the other mage, she turned her gaze back to the remaining men and sighed loudly.

"I didn't want to do this, but it looks like I'll have to put the boy to sleep. You better hope that the results aren't affected by the sedative spell, or else there will be hell to pay."

"O-of course. My sincerest apologies. This won't happen again." One of the mages stammered.

Bias's red eyes appeared to be even more bloodshot from anger. Dimitri faced her full fury when she glared at him, hands raised for another spell.

"You caused me a lot of trouble, wicked boy. If you didn't resist, we would have been done by now."

Dimitri couldn't reply back. Her immobilization spell also stilled his tongue. Bias's fingers glowed with a white light and danced in the air as she murmured an incantation. Right away, he felt the effects of her magic. He struggled to keep his eyes open, and only caught a glimpse of the mage's triumphant sneer before falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

The dark mage kept his promise. From that day onwards, Dimitri had his blood drawn on tables that could withstand his strength. Bias and the others were also a lot more cautious around him. They still taunted and degraded him whenever they could, but they also flinched whenever he moved unexpectedly. The fact that they were so skittish of him gave him hope. Dimitri knew he could win against foes that were more human than they let on.

Days passed with more blood collections. Dimitri no longer needed to be sedated when the table's bindings held fast. Sometimes, the mages even agitated him so that he would activate his Crest while they collected his blood. He found it harder to call upon his Crest when he knew that it wouldn't lead to his freedom and that it was instead just what the mages wanted. During the times he couldn't summon it for them, they brought out horrendous devices with sharpened points and tortured him until his Crest manifested out of stress. After those sessions, he spent the rest of the day laying on his unforgiving cot.

Those days, he wished that he wasn't born with this stupid Crest. If he was just a normal boy, the mages wouldn't have any interest in him. They might have left him alone in Duscur and he would have been able to continue on with his life. But then his stepmother would still have disappeared into the flames. He wouldn't have any clue to her whereabouts. Right now, at least he knew she was around here somewhere, along with Edelgard. Once he found an opening in their defenses, a moment of weakness, anything that would give him a chance, he could save them both along with himself.

That dream allowed him to persevere through the trials they threw at him. The blood collections dwindled to a halt as other tests ramped up. The mages connected Dimitri to strange machines and ordered him to do various trivial tasks like running, jumping, or punching training dummies. He enjoyed these sessions more than the blood drawing ones, although 'enjoy' was perhaps too strong of a word. He still hated being subjected to their whims, their pokes and prods. But he did get to release his anger in physical activities. When Dimitri imagined the dummies as the dark mages, he obliterated them so much they had to make new ones after each session. He didn't care that he was giving him the results they wanted. He had to keep his spirits up somehow, for the day when he can actually lay his hands on them.

Sometimes they asked him to do things without his Crest, sometimes with. Dimitri learned his lessons from before and complied with them as best he could. When he couldn't please them, he had run and jump and punch with endless needles and tubes embedded in his muscles. At the end of those days, his body felt like it was on fire with pain. The mages had to carry him back to his cell. They at least had the courtesy to leave the chains off his limbs as he laid down on the cot. They probably didn't consider him a threat anymore, considering that he was too weak to move, much less hatch an escape plan.

Dimitri jolted awake from a not-so-restful sleep. His body still ached from a particularly strenuous session, but his mind noticed something strange in the cell across the hallway. He forced himself off of his cot and dragged himself closer. The only source of light came from the ceiling of the corridor and although they were just as strange as everything else here, they barely illuminated his surroundings. So he was unable to make out exactly was in that cell, only that something was moving in there.

"Hello?" Dimitri called out. Nothing responded verbally, but he did hear some shuffling.

"Are you alright in there?" He asked. Again, no reaction. Maybe he was talking to an animal that had snuck into the cell and this endeavor was pointless. But he kept on talking anyway. It has been so long since he spoke to someone in a friendly manner. Even if this was useless, it was somewhat soothing.

"Um, my name is Dimitri. I'm a prisoner like you, so do you want to talk?"

Frustrated by the lack of response, Dimitri leaned his head as close as he could to the bars without touching them. He thought that by moving closer, he could discern whatever was in the cell, but he had no such luck. He even tested his limits a little too much and ended up pressing his cheek against the hot metal rods. He yelped, jumped back, and cooled down his cheek by squishing it against the stone wall.

To his surprise, that pitiful show caused something to stir. Dimitri recollected himself in time to see a shadow emerged from the darkness. The inhabitant inside the cell wasn't an animal, but a young boy around his age. Besides his age, he was basically the complete opposite of Dimitri. While the prince was skinny, the boy was imposingly large. He had dark brown skin and silver hair, not at all like Dimitri's overall pale complexion. Such skin and hair color could only be found in the people of Duscur, which answered one question he had and raised several more. It was possible that this boy didn't understand the Fodlan tongue, so that was why he didn't react to his earlier words. But how did a Duscur boy get here? They must have captured him like they captured Dimitri, but why would they do such a thing? What were they planning to do with him?

"Ah-!" Dimitri held up a hand to stop the boy from touching the bars of his cell. However, instead of getting burned, he remained where he was and stared at Dimitri intensely.

"Your cell isn't enchanted?" He blinked. His first thought was about how unfair it was for the newcomer to get the magic-free bars. Then again, he probably didn't have anything like the Crest of Blaiddyd so he wouldn't need such precautions.

The boy blinked back. If he didn't understand him, then all his gesturing must seem like nonsense to him. Dimitri pointed at his bars and raised an eyebrow.

"Does. It. Hurt?" He asked, jabbing at the bars with each word. He hoped that maybe the boy knew a little bit of the Fodlan language and that he just needed to speak slowly for him to understand. But apparently that wasn't the case. The boy gave him a blank stare, shrugged, then retreated back into the shadows. 

"Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Dimitri instinctively reached through a gap between the bars. Amazingly enough, he wasn't scorched the instant his arms slipped through. But he couldn't linger like that for long. Enough heat generated between the two rods to eventually inflict a burn on his outstretched arm, forcing him to pull back.

Dimitri stared at the spot where the boy once was. He was pretty sure this encounter wasn't a figment of his imagination. He had to believe that, and not think that his continuous torture caught up to him and made him hallucinate. He remained silent until he could hear the steady breathing of the nearby boy. With his fears assuaged, he leaned back and sighed.

"Well, uh, don't be afraid to say hello. I won't bite. Unless you're a dark mage in disguise."

The boy remained silent. That was fine with Dimitri. It was obvious that his fellow prisoner didn't trust him yet, but he could eventually win him over if he kept on talking to him. They had nothing else to do down here anyway. He just hoped that those dark mages didn't get to either one of them first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I forget to update daily over the next several days, I blame the DLC.


	5. Crest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A death match against a giant robot somehow isn't the most painful thing Dimitri has to endure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for skipping a day. In my defense, I was going to post last night but a chapter in the DLC took a long time to finish and by the time I beat it I was too tired to do anything else. So I learned my lesson and am posting this before I play more of the DLC lol.

Today, the dark mages decided to forgo their usual tests and subject Dimitri to something different.

"Defeat the Titanus." Bias stated as she attached some weird devices to his limbs. Before Dimitri could ask what a Titanus was, she finished her preparations by shoving a lance in his hands and pushing him through a large set of doors that led to a staircase.

He slowly walked down the steps, wary of what's to come, and wound up in a spacious, circular arena with little in terms of lighting and even less for cover. Blue lights shone from the ceiling and white lights streamed through a large pane of glass that divided him from the dark mages. They illuminated the room enough for Dimitri to make out an imposing figure crouched in the middle. Veins and patches of cyan light on the figure's surface flared to life as he approached, revealing a giant human-like foe made of metal. 

Once it was activated, it swung its enormous sword immediately. Dimitri was able to dance out of the way, but he was still awestruck by how big everything about it was. This creature(?) was at least three times as tall as he, and wielded a shield alongside its blade. That sword looked like it could cleave a hill into two with one blow, while the shield would crush him if it were to fall on him.

If those didn’t present enough of a challenge, the Titanus's lines of light granted it mysterious power, allowing it to not only move with grace but also conjure explosive flames beneath its feet that pushed its body off the ground. Without the need to actually walk, it could hover across the battlefield with ease and lunge at him with surprising speed.

Frankly, Dimitri had no idea how to win. He was well trained with a lance, yes, but what was this tiny stick going to do against an enormous, armor plated foe like the Titanus? At least this lance seemed more suited to the task than the ones he trained with in Fhirdiad. It was made of a strange, durable metal like his handcuffs. Its tip was shaped like a cone with deep grooves etched into its otherwise smooth surface. However, the most unusual facet of it was how electricity cackled around its end. He knew that thunder magic could pierce through even the sturdiest of armors, so the sparks that this lance produced should be the key to defeating this opponent.

The thought of using this lance to break free did cross his mind. When he tested it by 'accidentally' stabbing the wall, it left no marks behind. This arena was made with the same material as his cell, which meant that he shouldn't waste his breath on more attempts. Not when the Titanus descended upon him again.

Dimitri dodge to the left. It may be fast, thanks to its flame-propelling trick, but it was also slow to react. Whenever it charged, it shot forward in a straight line, unable to turn around and hit a target that moved quickly out of the way. It also took a few seconds to survey the arena and find out where its opponent went. Dimitri was sure he could use the Titanus's predictable routine to his advantage. The question was how?

He came up with one risky strategy. As he leaped to the side again, he scrambled back onto his feet and sprinted towards the Titanus. He reached the base of its feet before its sweeping optics spotted him. Steeling himself for a bad end to this plan, Dimitri jumped up and latched onto a gap between the plating around its knee. The Titanus sensed the pesky child on it and tried to shake him off. Dimitri held on as tightly as he could. To attach himself better, he plunged his lance into the crevice he clung to. Sparks of electricity danced around the wound he inflicted, causing the Titanus to spasm and kneel down onto its injured knee. Dimitri pulled out his lance and prepared to spear it again, but decided to abort at the last minute due to a sword coming his way. He kicked off of the Titanus's leg and landed on the ground before that blade slashed at the spot where he once was.

Dimitri's small victory did not last long. The Titanus got back up soon after he regained his bearings. But now it moved with a noticeable limp. If he could reach the other leg, could he disable its movements?

The answer was no. It could still move by the fire under its feet. Worse yet, instead of swinging at Dimitri, it started firing energized slices of wind with each stroke of its blade. These were a lot harder to dodge. Even if they didn't hit him directly, the heated air scorched anything that got too close and the resulting shockwave from when it slammed against the wall was able to knock him over. 

Dimitri was barely able to avoid getting incinerated by the first slice. He managed to avoid the brunt of the attack but he moved too slowly and his shoulder was scalded by its blazing aura. He grimaced and clutched his shoulder instinctively. The slice burnt off the meager armor the dark mages had given him and left behind a scarlet burn that throbbed with pain. On the upside, one of the weird devices strapped onto his arm was also destroyed. He glanced backwards on a whim to see the reactions of his onlookers, but he couldn't make out anything through the window. He felt certain that the dark mages weren't pleased about that anyway. Perhaps if he was unfortunate enough to get hit by more attacks, he could try breaking the other devices on him and anger them even more.

Although he wasn't sure if he could survive another blow like that. As much as the thought amused him, Dimitri would rather not die here for the petty sake of revenge. After darting away from another energized slice, he gripped his lance tightly and charged. He formulated another risky plan after watching its movements. If this didn't work, then he was most likely done for.

While the Titanus charged up another ranged attack, he ran right up to his feet again. Like he thought, the hulking mass of metal couldn't fire it off at close range, or else it would knock itself over with the explosion. It chose to swing at him instead. Dimitri dodged these strikes with ease, and even got to harry it by jabbing at any undefended point he could find. His lance didn't do much to hurt it, but he was able to goad it into doing what he wanted. He stopped for a brief moment and the Titanus brought its energized blade down on him like a hammer. 

Dimitri jumped to the side at the last possible moment. The sword slammed into the ground, creating a crater of charred metal and acrid smoke. Dimitri was launched off his feet from the shockwaves. Once his vision cleared, he saw that the sword was basically welded into the floor. The Titanus struggled to pull it out but to no avail. Dimitri seized the opportunity to climb onto the arm that became a convenient bridge to the rest of its body. The Titanus stopped in its futile efforts to swat the boy off the best it could when its free arm held a shield. But Dimitri remained quick on his feet and often stabbed his lance into the cracks of its armor for extra support. There was no way he was going to fail now, not when his dangerous strategy was paying off.

Soon enough, he clambered to the head of the Titanus. He jabbed his lance downwards with all his might. The electricity that pulsed when the tip collided with its chrome surface did more damage than the actual impact. The Titanus shuddered and dropped the arm that was about to slap him off. Dimitri had to hold on by wrapping his own arm around its head. That didn't leave him with enough momentum for another attack. Afraid that he wouldn't get another chance, he let go of the Titanus's head for a split second in order to spear it with all his might and the Crest of Blaiddyd. The lance pierced through its armor and drove itself deep into its cranium. The Titanus shook again from something that resembled death throes. More sparks buzzed around the puncture, some of them coming from the Titanus itself. A few sparks hopped onto his arms and jolted him. Dimitri hissed but kept stabbing its head repeatedly. Shards of metal and torn wires flew around him like a flurry of snow. He refused to stop until the great foe finally halted completely.

He didn't realize how much his heart was pounding until his victory dawned on him. Dimitri released his grip on the lance and panted heavily. He won. He actually won against all odds.

"Congratulations, boy." A voice blared out from nowhere. Dimitri swiveled his head around to find the source but couldn't spot anything.

"Now how about you come down here and celebrate your success with us?" The voice echoed again. He realized that it belonged to Bias, although it was distorted by whatever magical means she used to communicate.

He was understandably wary about her praises. She never sounded so positive before. She must have some ulterior motive, some kind of secret she delighted from. But he wouldn't find out any of that until he got down from the Titanus. Dimitri wobbled his way through the now opened doors, where he was greeted by Bias and her usual entourage of dark mages. He didn't have his handcuffs slapped on him immediately, which meant that he could try escaping again. It was only too bad that the last fight took a lot of energy out of him. He was sure that he would get trounced in his current state.

"You did an excellent job with the Titanus." Bias gave him a freaky smile. "That was the hardest test we could give you, and you passed with flying colors."

"Not that he was in any real danger." One of the mages muttered. "We would have stopped it if he was on the verge of death."

Bias shot the mumbling mage a deathly glare that cowed him. She then turned back to Dimitri, resuming that sweet facade that made him sick to his stomach. "Now we can move onto the  _ real _ tests. Isn't that exciting?"

"Uh." Dimitri had no idea how to respond to that. He got the impression that this development benefited her more than him.

"What kind of tests are you talking about?"

Bias's smile widened. She looked like a predator about to sink her teeth into a juicy bit of prey. "You're going to be my greatest project ever, boy. Not only will you become even stronger, you will help me create an army that no one could hope to oppose."

"Wh-what?!" Those cryptic words didn't reassure him in the slightest. They instead filled him with fear that motivated him to get out of here, tired body be damned. Dimitri immediately bolted towards a set of doors that would lead him away from this madwoman. He didn't get very far before Bias held up a hand and recited an incantation. His legs turned into jelly as a familiar sleepiness overtook him. Before he blacked out completely, Bias crouched down and whispered into his ear.

"There will be nowhere to run to after I'm done with you. No one will want you, not even your precious stepmother."

* * *

All he could remember afterwards was pain.

He was always put in a sedative state these days. In between spells, he saw bright white lights, bright white tables, and bright white sheets. He recalled humming devices with numbers on them, devices with glinting needles and knives, and devices attached to bags of blood. He heard people conversing in nonsensical, muffled words.

Dimitri couldn't put together the pieces of this puzzle. The pain overrode every memory after his victory against the Titanus. There were sharp pains from when his skin was sliced, from when needles were inserted, from when foreign fluids were pumped into veins. There were aching pains from his constantly swirling head, the bright lights, and any effort to stay cognizant of these ordeals. 

Then there was a burning pain from deep inside him. It reminded him of the pain he endured when he didn't have any hint of control over his birthright, the Minor Crest of Blaiddyd.

"Dimitri, if you have trouble harnessing your Crest, just think about your family and friends." His father once told him.

"Why them?" A much younger Dimitri asked back.

"Because we wield this power for their sake. We can fight against evil and protect them from harm."

"But father, I always hurt people with my Crest. How can it not hurt them?"

"You're not truly hurting them." His father chuckled. "Yes, you might break their belongings or give them some bruises. But family and friends will always stand with you through any of your trials. Do not think of your Crest as a burden to them, but as another facet of your love to be shared. That way, you will never be afraid of it, and once you’re not afraid, mastering it comes easily."

The child blinked. "I… think I get it. I'll try my best!"

His father grinned and patted his head. "I know you will."

So Dimitri reached through his constant haze of pain to cling to the wonderful memories of his loved ones. He thought of his father and stepmother and his newly discovered stepsister, El. He remembered the Fraldarius family, Rodrigue, Glenn, and Felix. He recalled his childhood friends, Sylvain and Ingrid, and his mentor, Gustave. He even thought of the Duscur boy in the cell, wondering if he would eventually become one of his friends.

Then he woke up. He was no longer in one of those bright white rooms. Dimitri was laying in an actual bed, hooked up to various devices via needles and tubing. The lamps were dimmed to spare his eyes, but the burning pain that wracked his body was still present. As well as a faint blue light that seemed to come from his chest. 

Dimitri looked down and saw the Crest of Blaiddyd. It wasn't flashing like when he called upon it during his tests. It persisted, glowing as brightly as the sun. He couldn't turn it off no matter how much he concentrated, no matter how long he thought of his family and friends. He moved his arms to grab it and found that his entire body protested against the slightest of movements. His Crest was powering his body beyond what it could endure. If he did anything more strenuous than a twitch or a wiggle, he felt like his muscles would tear him apart.

Whatever happened to him, he couldn't bear it. Dimitri was forced to lie still in order to avoid hurting himself more. That was why Bias held his complete attention when she walked into the room.

"How is my greatest project doing?" She cooed. Dimitri's jaws hurt too much to talk. He could only silently curse her with the most venomous glare he could muster.

"Oh. That badly, huh?" She strolled over to a device with numbers and studied it. "Since you're awake now, I'll try to do something about the pain. We still need you for more experiments to come, and some of them require you to be conscious."

Dimitri couldn't even begin to imagine further experimentations. His body was already on fire from his constant Crest of Blaiddyd. Any more pain might just end him. Which would be a blessing, admittedly.

"Don't look at me like that." Bias pretended to sound like she was upset by his fury. "I think once you get accustomed to it, you'll find that a Major Crest of Blaiddyd can be quite useful. Why, I bet you can break out of those cuffs now. Not that you should try that, of course. You're still susceptible to my magic."

A Major Crest of Blaiddyd?! What in the goddess's name was she blathering about? Did her experiments lead to this? Dimitri wouldn't be able to tell, since he only had a Minor Crest before. And as far as he knew, there hasn't been a Major Crest bearer in the Blaiddyd family for generations. Besides the original bearer, Blaiddyd of the 10 Elites himself, he could only remember one other person with a Major Crest: his great-great-grandaunt that did not have many records due to her short lifespan. Whether her early death was because of her constant warmongering or Major Crest remained unknown.

So he didn't have a lot to reference when it came to the Major Crest of Blaiddyd. Being imbued with one left him with just as much confusion as it did pain. Like, was it supposed to hurt this much? And why couldn't he turn it off? One of his best friends came to mind as he sought answers to his many questions. Felix was a natural Major Crest bearer and did have similar issues of control when he was younger. But his friend's ordeals seemed like nothing compared to what Dimitri was going through right now. Was it because his Crest was modified with vile magic?

"Well, you better go back to sleep." Bias's syrupy voice interrupted his thoughts. "We still have a lot of research to be done."

Another wave of her hand caused his eyes to shut. The harsh glow of his upgraded Crest couldn't burn through his eyelids, so the only things he could see were the jubilant faces of Lambert, Patricia, and El. He summoned his family before to get through his pain, and now they were present to keep his hopes alive.

"I'll try my best." Dimitri quoted his younger self. "Father, Stepmother, El, please hold on. I will come back soon. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you guys thought Dimitri was going to get a second Crest. While I did consider that, I went with this instead because it's more unpredictable and it leads to several interesting plotlines~


	6. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri finds something in common with the boy from Duscur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I beat the DLC and man that was a wild ride. I've taken a cursory glance through the support conversations with the Ashen Wolves and noticed that they did elaborate a bit on Patricia's deal. But since it doesn't really contradict what I've written, I'm not going to change anything. Also I won't be including anything from the DLC for this story. But for later? Who knows~
> 
> Anyway onto this next chapter! I didn't mention it before, but as an additional content warning, this chapter has references to drugs (in the context of medical painkillers).

Dimitri's pain died down a teensy bit, but it still tortured him over the next several days. Or was it weeks? Flitting between a state of wakefulness and slumber made it hard to keep track of the passage of time. Regardless, Bias actually fulfilled her promise and eased his discomfort by injecting some sort of clear liquid into his body. The liquid numbed his screaming muscles, although he could still feel the scorching fire in his core, caused by his constant Major Crest of Blaiddyd. 

The brief reprieve she granted him allowed him to get used to his new Crest. And there were a lot of things that Dimitri needed to get used to. Simple actions that he took for granted, like walking and eating, became a challenge. He had to learn how not to snap his legs with every step he took. He had to figure out how not to break his jaw when he chewed on food. He had to learn how much strength to use when grasping small objects. He had to lie very still when he slept, or else risk destroying his bed with a seemingly harmless motion.

If there was one thing Dimitri was grateful for throughout his trials, it was that Bias and her mages were kinder to him. They called upon white magic to heal his self-inflicted injuries just as often as they tied him down and stabbed him with needles. Maybe it was because their experiment was such a success. Or maybe they feared that if Dimitri had a fit of rage, they wouldn't survive his flying fists. 

But they also became crueler to him in other ways. Once the life-saving medicine wore off, Dimitri fell into a world of pain again. He couldn't do anything but curl up and cry. The mages refused to give him enough doses to last throughout his waking and sleeping hours, citing a concern for addiction. 

Dimitri knew what such a problem meant. His own uncle took to the bottle to drown away his sorrows far too often. But this was different. He needed that medicine to survive. He couldn't walk, eat, or sleep without it. Surely the mages knew that, didn't they? And still they withheld it from him. Worse, they figured out that this was a powerful tool to keep Dimitri in line. If he didn't comply, or didn't progress in a satisfactory manner, then they wouldn't give him any medicine and he would have to suffer until they decided otherwise.

After he completed his first phase of 'recovery', Dimitri spent most nights in his newly renovated cell. He wasn't sure what led them to think that he was well enough for it, since he still felt as awful as before and his Crest still shone brightly with no signs of stopping. Maybe the mages needed time in order to outfit his room with more defensive enchantments and padded surfaces. His cot and chains were gone, since he would undoubtedly destroy them by accident. But the cushy floor provided more comfort than his old bed's stony, hard surface. He laid on his back and closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the incessant glow from his chest.

Then he opened them again. Dimitri couldn't sleep, and it wasn't solely because of the pain, although that still played a large factor. He had the feeling that someone was staring at him.

He knew what that someone was. Taking great care to not hurt his back, he slowly pushed himself upwards and met the quiet gaze of the boy from Duscur.

"H-hello." Dimitri fought to keep his voice straight. Although speech was one of the tasks he was relearning, he still wasn't completely fluent like before.

Not like it mattered to the boy. He didn't respond to his shaking words. He only stared at the insignia blazoned on Dimitri.

"You... want to know what this is?" Dimitri tried to focus solely on interpreting the boy's silent expressions. It helped him ignore the pain and talk better.

A nod. Pleased by an actual response, he continued on. "It's the Crest of Bladididid..."

There were too many hard sounds in his Crest's name. His tongue smacked painfully against the roof of his mouth and he flinched. Thankfully, it seemed like the boy didn't care about how Blaiddyd was pronounced. He kept on staring at the Crest with narrowed eyes.

"It's power, from my family's bloodline. But it shouldn't be on all the time. The mages messed with it. Now it hurts. It hurts so much…"

Why was he telling him all this? The boy did ask about it in the first place, but Dimitri didn't want to saddle him with his problems. He was sure that the boy had his own plethora of worries that came with being a prisoner in a foreign country. This predicament was nothing that the boy could help with.

Dimitri laid back down, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. At least it didn't hurt him to cry. But if this was all he could do, then he was uncertain about how much longer he could last. He wasn't getting any better. The mages didn't want to pump him full of medicine all the time. The happy memories of his family and friends became tainted from his constant haze of pain. Even the goddess ignored his fervent prayers for rescue. At this rate, all he wanted to do was lay here, cry, and wait until the goddess finally decided to take pity and take him to her home in the heavens.

"Sorry."

Dimitri snapped his eyes open. The goddess's voice was a lot deeper than he imagined. Then he realized that it wasn't the goddess who replied back.

"You-" He shot upright, then winced as his spine ached from the whiplash. That was going to leave a mark.

"You can talk?" He asked once he pushed the pain aside.

"A little." The boy looked as stoic as before, but there was a bit of warmth in his face now. Or his glowing Crest illuminated him in a strange way.

"Oh." Dimitri said, before realizing how ungrateful he sounded. He hurriedly sought a different reply, despite his protesting tongue. "Thank you. I'm happy for that. By the way, what's your name?"

"Dedue."

"De…" He wasn't even going to try to say that in his current state. He hoped that Dedue understood his predicament.

Judging from his nod, he did. Another wave of relief washed over him. Dedue gestured towards his cot and then to Dimitri. "Sleep now."

"Oh. Right. Sorry to keep you awake." He wished for the umpteenth time that he could turn this damn Crest off. Not only was it putting Dimitri through living hell, it was also keeping Dedue awake.

"No.  _ You  _ sleep now."

Dimitri opened his mouth to protest. He couldn't really sleep while he was in so much pain. But Dedue's words dulled him to the fire blazing underneath his skin for a brief but wonderful moment. They soothed his rebellious body like this memories of his loved ones, only this time they came from a real person.

He shouldn't be clinging to those words too desperately. Dedue might not actually like him, seeing as they were still practically strangers. But right now, he didn't care. Dimitri held those words close to his heart as he layed back down. His Crest seemed to flicker a bit while he slowly drifted into a light slumber.

* * *

Another good thing about his Major Crest was that it offered some resistance against Bias's sleep spell. Although it wasn't like he was actually building up an immunity. More like, the constant pain made it hard for him to succumb to her magic completely. This allowed him to stay semi-conscious when he was supposed to be asleep. And when the mages thought he was asleep, they talked about more interesting things within earshot.

However, sometimes his fight to stay cognizant led to strange results. Like today, he thought he heard two familiar voices. One belonged to Lord Arundel, who he now knew was his uncle by marriage. The other came from Cornelia, a mage in his father's court. Why his delirious brain thought of those two, he had no idea.

"How is the boy?" Arundel asked. There was less worry in his voice than Dimitri expected.

"To tell you the truth, the prognosis is not good." Cornelia's earrings rattled as she presumably shook her head. "He has made some improvements, but at this rate his body will deteriorate faster than it can recover. I do not expect him to live much longer."

"That is unfortunate." His uncle sighed. "I have made many breakthroughs with the princess regarding her Crests. If you think such research could stabilize this subject, then I am willing to share them with you."

"Are you crazy?!" Cornelia hissed. "He is already dying from one modified Crest! A second one would surely kill him!"

"Or, if you gave him a healing Crest, then the two can work in tandem and strengthen him. But if you think otherwise…"

Lord Arundel paused, expecting Cornelia to object. When she stayed quiet, he continued on in a disgruntled tone. "Then your only option left is to use his blood for the other test subjects. It's such a pity to waste a promising experiment, but it's better to recover what we can than pin our hopes on a miraculous recovery."

"Understood. I will start the transfusions immediately."

"Excellent. I expect more great things from you, Bias. Do not disappoint me."

Dimitri barely remembered that conversation. He only felt a sense of confusion and impending dread. He didn't remember much of what happened afterwards too. Days and nights blurred together under magically-induced slumber and body-wracking pain. He did once catch a brief glimpse of Dedue laying on a pristine white table next to him. Then he also faded away into darkness.

He had his next lucid moment back in his cell. Dimitri noticed that the pain was less intense, but still debilitating. He felt incredibly drained as well, like someone sucked all his energy away.

Dimitri was content with resting on the floor, but pained groans from the cell across the hallway caused him to sit up. Dedue was curled up on the ground in a fetal position. His back was turned towards him so he couldn't make out much besides his shuddering shoulders. It hurt to see him in such a pitiful state, yet something tugged at his heart, preventing him from looking away.

"Dedue?" It didn't hurt Dimitri to say his full name. That was something to be glad about. "Are you alright?"

He moaned loudly in response, followed by panting and wheezing. Dimitri recognized those sounds, although he wished he didn't. They triggered a memory in his brain, bits and pieces of a conversation between Lord Arundel and Cornelia. They were talking about his blood and other test subjects...

That would explain why Dimitri was inexplicably drawn to him. Actually, it didn't explain much, but it did give him a hunch to go off of. To confirm his suspicions, he reached an arm towards Dedue through the bars of his cell. They slowly burned him, like before, but this was just a small drop in the ocean of pain he had to endure daily. He could deal with it in order to get the answer he wanted.

He felt an invisible fire ravaging Dedue's body, similar to the one raging in his own chest. When Dimitri tried to touch it, his Crest flickered. It was a noticeable flicker, like it finally calmed down for a second. In the cell across the hall, something lit up near Dedue.

What just happened? Was he imagining things? Dimitri unfortunately couldn't test anything else because he couldn't keep his arm stretched through the bars. He retracted and massaged it while he thought about what to do next. Dedue was oddly quiet when Dimitri reached out, but resumed his wailing once he pulled himself back. If only he could go into his cell and sit next to him-

As if on cue, Bias approached Dedue's room. Dimitri couldn't see her face, but it was apparent from her body language that she was annoyed by the boy's racket. 

"Bias?" Dimitri called out. "I need to be with Dedue. Please."

She whirled around and snapped at him. "How do you know his name?" 

"He told me once. But that's not the point. Dedue is dying and… I think I can save him."

Bias pursed her lips. "What a strange thing to say. Let me guess, your soft heart can't stand letting a beast wither away all by itself?"

"That's not it." Dimitri hated the tone she spoke in but he couldn't lash out now. Not when Dedue's life was on the line. "It has something to do with my Crest. Please, let me help. You have nothing to lose, right?"

Apparently, 'Crest' was the magic word. Bias reluctantly opened the doors of the two cells. "If this is an elaborate ruse, then I will make you regret this." She growled.

Dimitri rushed over to Dedue's side. His Crest was flickering like crazy now, blinking on and off like a firefly. He flipped Dedue around and gasped at how haggard he looked. His skin was hot to the touch and drenched in sweat, his breathing was ragged, and there was a pool of something Dimitri didn't want to look at not too far away. He picked up both of Dedue's shaking hands and clutched them tightly to still them.

"Dedue." He said in a determined voice. He was honestly scared because he was playing everything by ear, but he had to stay strong for his friend.

"Dim… mi…" The Duscur boy rasped out. 

"Don't try to talk if you can't." Dimitri blurted out. Just..."

He didn't actually know what to do next. His common sense had long deserted him due to his incessant torment. But he meditated on the situation anyway, and his heart responded when his mind couldn't.

"Here." Dimitri pressed one of his and Dedue's hands against his chest, then placed the other pair of hands on Dedue.

"We need to breathe in unison. Can you do that?"

Dedue had enough strength left to nod at least. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. As soon as their breathing synchronized, Dimitri was greeted once again by the blazing fire in the other boy's body. The inferno was fueled by an ancient power that could not be quenched easily. It roared louder when he came in contact with it, its flickering tendrils lashing out at Dimitri. Or rather, at the fire within Dimitri. His fire fought back, burning so fiercely that his chest ached.

He wasn't frightened by this violent imagery. He had to stay strong, for Dedue's sake. While the fires battled on, Dimitri's Crest of Blaiddyd started shining in sync with their breathing. It brightened and diminished with the rising and falling of their chests. Watching its hypnotic light seemed to calm the twin fires. Both of them died down in different ways. The flame in Dimitri shrank to a more comfortable size while the flame in Dedue was placated with what it seized from the brief encounter. It burned confidently, no longer consuming everything in its path, and emitted a warm blue light.

That light manifested in the real world, through their fingers on Dedue's shirt. The glowing spark also blinked in tune to their beating hearts. It grew in size with every pulse, until it formed a familiar four-pointed star with angular rays emanating off of it.

"Look, Dedue. We have the same Crest." Dimitri pointed out. 

The other Blaiddyd Crest bearer opened his eyes. He stared in awe at the matching symbols over their chests. The aura of their Crests seemed to wash away the tired lines on their face and the agony that plagued them both. Dimitri couldn’t help but smile and laugh at his success. Not only did he dulled their pain, he also saved the life of the only kind soul in this hellish place. Those were miracles he couldn’t take for granted.

"We are… like brothers." Dedue nodded. He sounded more surprised than jubilant, but he too bore a small smile.

"Brothers." That label fit them pretty well, Dimitri thought.


	7. Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedue breaks some unfortunate news to Dimitri.

"It's called Crest Resonance."

Bias announced her findings to the two boys inside Dimitri’s padded cell. Sometime after Dimitri spent the night with Dedue, she decided the best course of action was to let them stay together. Besides the fact that they recovered significantly faster when they were near each other, Dedue's cell hasn't been upgraded to withstand his Crest of Blaiddyd yet.

"It's a rare phenomenon, even among the source of your Crests. It's never been documented before in humans."

"What source of our Crests? Are you talking about the goddess?" Dimitri piped up. Now that he was feeling much better, he wasn't afraid to ask antagonizing questions.

"Pfft. That's cute, but don't interrupt me with needless inquiries." Bias glared at him before continuing on. "Anyway, when two beings with the same Major Crest are near each other, they can synchronize with each other's power."

"In your case," Bias nodded towards Dimitri, "Your Crest stabilized to a level that your body can handle. And in your case," She gestured at Dedue next, "Your Crest found what it was missing to remain stable."

Dimitri glanced at Dedue. The poor boy from Duscur didn't understand a word this woman said. He barely understood them himself, to be honest. All that he knew was that being near Dedue brought him peace that he couldn't find anywhere else.

"You two should be more excited about this. If we can further develop your Resonance, then the possibilities are endless." Bias prattled on, her smile growing with each sentence. "As long as you can synchronize with other Crest recipients, we can move forward with our experiments at a record pace. And then imagine, at the end of it all, an army of Blaiddyd Crest bearers and a leader at its helm that can command them without uttering a single word. Nothing will be able to stop us!"

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Dimitri narrowed his eyes. "Two of us hardly constitute an army."

"What, did you think you two were the only test subjects?" Bias laughed. "Just because you didn't see the other children doesn't mean they aren't there. In fact, I only let that one into the cell next to yours because we ran out of room."

Dimitri curled his fingers on his knees into a fist. He loathed the way she talked about human lives, as if they were expendable. He could never agree to work with such an amoral person. "If… if you're thinking of making me a commander of such an army, then I refuse."

"Oh you poor naive boy." Bias sounded didn't take his refusal seriously. "I have many ways to change the minds of beasts. How do you think I convinced Patricia to abandon her family in the flames of Duscur?"

"Do not speak her name!" Dimitri roared as he lunged at the bars that separated him and Bias. She obviously wasn't expecting him to slip his arms through the gaps and grab her robes. The rage in his heart burned hotter than the enchanted metal. He would have pulled her closer and perhaps slammed her head on the bars if she didn't hastily fling a dark spell his way. Dimitri stumbled backwards and fell over, only to be caught by Dedue.

"Well." Bias smoothed out the creases in her dress that Dimitri's attack left behind. "I suppose I should thank you for alerting me to an obvious flaw in the design. I'd say that you've outgrown this cell anyway, hm? If I'm to grow an army, a bigger barracks is in order."

"I… will never submit to you." Dimitri grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Haven't you heard a thing I said?" Bias sighed. "Oh well. You're just a child, so I suppose irrationality is common in your age group. Still, I will concede one thing. I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. So I will leave you to recuperate. I don't want my greatest success to fizzle out before you really had the chance to shine."

Bias turned away and left his sight. Dimitri nursed the spot on his shoulder where the dark magic missile connected. It didn't hurt as much as it used to, but his weakness to magic was something he needed to address if he wanted to keep his dreams of escape alive.

Dimitri noticed that Dedue stared after Bias with an oddly dark expression. He had never noticed him so furious before. He had seen a wide range of emotions from him, like pain, irritation, sympathy, and joy. But never anger.

"What's wrong, Dedue?"

Dedue remained silent for a moment in order to come up with his answer in the Fodlan language. "She… caused the Tragedy of Duscur."

"Tragedy?" Dimitri froze. Is that what they were calling it now? He had a sinking feeling he didn't want the clarification he asked for.

"The Tragedy of Duscur is the night when the Faerghus king died." Dedue stated plainly.

Dimitri sat there in muted shock. All this time, he thought that his father had escaped the flames. He counted on it. He needed this hope to survive the torture he went through. He yearned to escape from this hellish place so he could see his face once again. And now Dedue just told him that his dreams were for naught. Father was dead.

"Father…" Dimitri broke out into ugly sobs. His sorrowful cries filled the entire cell and beyond. He couldn't see anything through his blurred vision and his head spun so much, he would have collapsed if it weren't for Dedue. He allowed the mourning boy to rest on his shoulders. In turn, Dimitri pulled him into a tight hug and soaked Dedue's shirt with his tears.

"Sorry." Dedue mumbled to him once his tears stopped flowing.

"Don't apologize. I was going to find that out sooner or later. So I'm glad that I learned it from you, at least." Dimitri wiped his face dry with a sleeve. "Who… was there anyone else that died in the attack?"

"... Everyone died." Dedue sounded like he did his best to break the news gently. But that was a difficult task for him when he wasn't fluent in the Fodlan tongue.

"Everyone?"

"Yes."

"Even Glenn? He's the best knight ever! He couldn't have fallen to these goons."

"I do not know Glenn, but there were no survivors."

Dimitri pressed his face into Dedue's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his torso once again. He ran out of tears for his knightly friend, but he grieved for him as much as he grieved for his father. He stayed there, silent and motionless, while Dedue returned the hug.

Something wet dropped on his head. Dimitri glanced up and found that Dedue was also crying. He was shocked to see the normally stoic boy affected by such sadness. The only thing that might cause that… The thought sickened him, but he had to know.

"Dedue… did you lose someone in the Tragedy of Duscur?"

Dedue froze, confirming Dimitri's fear. He was so caught up in the death of his father and Glenn that he forgot to consider Dedue's feelings. What a terrible friend he was.

"Faerghus blamed Duscur for the death of the king." Dedue swallowed tears so more wouldn't come to light. "It was not that night. Weeks later, Faerghus… destroyed Duscur. Burned my village. Killed my family. For…"

He spat out a nasty sounding word. The harsh tones of the Duscur language contrasted against the boy's usually gentle demeanor.

"Revenge?" Dimitri supplied quietly.

"Yes." Dedue cast his eyes downward. "Revenge."

"I had no idea." Dimitri pulled away from Dedue. He didn't deserve to hug him, shed his tears on him. "No wonder you didn't want to talk to me when we first met. You must hate the people of Faerghus when they ruined your life, and especially their prince."

"I did not know you were a prince the first time." Dedue shook his head. "But yes. I was angry."

Dimitri averted his gaze. Dedue's affirmation made his heart drop like a rock. He only met his eyes again when Dedue grabbed his hands, as if pulling him back.

"Then I saw your Crest and knew you were the prince. But you were hurting, like me. I thought, 'The prince does not deserve hate. He did not cause the Tragedy. Instead, he was kind to me. So I should be kind to him too, because we are both hurting.' "

Dimitri strengthened his hold on Dedue's hands. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He would have thought that this boy was just saying nice words to comfort him, but he knew deep in his heart that Dedue was being sincere

"Thank you." He stammered out. "You know, with my father gone, I will be king soon. When we get out, I will do everything I can to clear the people of Duscur."

"Clear? Dedue shot him a quizzical look. "You will clean?"

"No. I will show everyone that you and everyone else are innocent. The people of Duscur will no longer be blamed for the Tragedy."

"That is… nice." Dedue hesitated for a minute. "But Duscur is dead. Clear-ing won't save them."

"Oh." Dimitri whispered. A poisonous thought reached his tongue, and although he hesitated to say it, he eventually vocalized the hard truth he realized. "Then... I will eradicate those that caused the deaths of our family and friends. Bias, the other mages… I will kill every last one of them."

That vow was nothing like anything he said before. He never thought about killing his captors, except to escape. But now, after learning what they had done, he couldn't let them roam free. He couldn't let these villains plot more plots that would take more lives. That was what his stepmother wanted, when she shoved a lance into his arms at Duscur. That was what his father would have wanted, in order to ensure a peaceful regime. That was what Glenn would have wanted, as a chivalrous force of good.

And that was what Dedue wanted, judging from his nod. He didn't even hesitate when he corrected Dimitri. "We. We will kill them."


	8. Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Dedue get to know each other a little bit better.

Dimitri spent more time in the white rooms now that Dedue's Crest implantation was a success. In these rooms, he caught glimpses of children of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some of them were dirty, like they were orphans picked up from the streets. Some of them were clean and obviously well cared for before their capture. An alarming number of them had brown skin like Dedue, signifying their Duscur heritage. Dimitri was maddened but not surprised by the fact that they were using kids whose lives were destroyed by an event they caused. He knew long ago that these dark mages had no heart, and were willing to stoop to any level to gain power. Instead of despairing about it like he used to, however, he turned that dismal thought into fuel for revenge.

Dimitri and Dedue were moved into a bigger cell. It was padded like before, but now it had beds that could withstand any Crest-powered rampages and a solid metal door with a reinforced glass window and a slot for food trays. He was honestly flabbergasted at how many beds their new room was equipped with. Were they expecting to fill this room with successful test subjects? And what would he do with them once they started showing up? The Crest of Blaiddyd was a sacred object to Dimitri since a young age. It was irrefutable proof of his ties to the royal family and the goddess of Fodlan. He hated that it was now being turned into a weapon that the dark mages forced onto innocent children. He hated that his Crest was hurting them, when it was supposed to be used to protect people. He wished that once again that wasn't born with this thing, so that the mages would have never gotten their filthy hands on it.

He also wished that he knew how Dedue was coping with it. The quiet boy seemed unperturbed by this turn of events. Whenever Dimitri asked him how he was holding up, whether his physical therapy sessions and training exercises went well, Dedue always replied back with a terse 'yes'. He was definitely hiding his feelings on the matter, but Dimitri didn't want to be too pushy and upset the only friend he had here.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the mages didn't seem like they could replicate their earlier success yet. No one occupied these beds besides Dimitri and Dedue. The prince hadn't seen any of the other children since he left them behind in the white rooms. He didn't give into grief just yet though. Perhaps it took time for them to recover enough to join their fellow test subjects. Dimitri himself wasn't sure how much time passed before he awakened from his Crest change. When he asked Dedue about it, he confirmed his suspicions by saying that he disappeared from his cell for at least a week that time.

"If it took me a week to get better…" Dimitri thought out loud. "Dedue, do you have any idea how long we've been down here?"

Dedue hesitated, only to shrug after a few seconds of pondering. "It has been three moons, at least. But I did not record the days well while I was suffering."

"Same here." Honestly, Dimitri had long given up on keeping track of time. All the days blurred together in their windowless cells and underneath the artificial lights. He even didn't know when it was night and day, only going to sleep when he was able or when the lights dimmed.

But three moons was a lot of time. That was not counting the fact that Dedue arrived here a few weeks after Dimitri. It was late summer in Faerghus when Dimitri was captured. So now, it would be sometime in the Red Wolf Moon. He wondered how his friends were doing, if they had moved on from his disappearance yet. And how would they react if he spent several more moons down here.

"Hey, we can't lose track of time like this." Dimitri piped up. "Between you and me, we could probably count the days more accurately. The mages don't experiment with us at the same time as often anymore. So as long as one of us is awake, we should be able to keep track."

"That is a good plan." Dedue nodded.

The two became meticulous when it came to their record keeping, only because there wasn't much else to do. Their cell did not provide any sort of entertainment so they had to make their own. Which was harder to do when Dedue was whisked away for more tests. The mages took him away more often than Dimitri, who needed to rest after his blood was drained for their use.

He hated not having Dedue around. Ever since that fateful day, Dimitri and Dedue basked in each other's presence whenever they could. Dimitri often asked if they could hold hands to stave off the phantom pain from his Crest. He didn't even need to Resonate with him. Just being in contact was enough for Dimitri. Dedue must have felt the same way, since he obliged each time. And occasionally, while they slept and Dimitri was tormented by nightmares, he slipped into Dedue's bed, curled up next to him, and clung onto his arm like it was a stuffed animal. If Dedue noticed any of this, he said nothing about it.

Actually, it kind of worried Dimitri that his friend rarely initiated any sort of interaction. Surely he was tormented by the same heartaches and nightmares as him, seeing as they had the same Crest and the troubles that came with it. And yet, Dedue hid all that under a stoic facade. Dimitri only remembered one time when he showed a need for his company. Dimitri was in a deep slumber incurred by leftover magic from his latest meeting with the mages. When he woke up, Dedue had joined his bed during the night and wrapped his arms around Dimitri's chest like the prince himself was a stuffed animal. Dimitri didn't dare to wake him up from his peaceful state, but maybe he should have. When Dedue opened his eyes, he wordlessly panicked and lept off his bed. Dimitri had never seen such a shade of red on the Duscur boy's face, and he would have laughed if it weren't for how embarrassed his friend was. After that, Dedue guarded his impulses more closely, much to Dimitri's dismay.

During an unspectacular day when the two boys were actually together in their cell, Dimitri wanted to kill time by testing something that Bias once said to him.

"What?" Dedue squinted his eyes when he heard what Dimitri told him. "I don't understand you."

"To be honest, it is a pretty nonsensical idea in the first place." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I want to see if we can talk to each other without speaking."

"Can… our Crest do that?"

"No. I don't think I ever heard of Crest bearers with such a power. But Bias mentioned it was a possibility when we Resonated."

"You believe her?" Dedue's look of disbelief turned into a frown.

"Not exactly. But it's worth a shot. If we really can talk directly into each other's mind, it would make our escape easier."

Dedue's frown remained until he saw that Dimitri was serious. He sighed as both of them sat on the floor. To ensure the best results, Dimitri called upon his Crest, which prompted Dedue to do the same. The twin blue insignias blinked in tandem as soon as they placed their hands over each other's hearts.

"Ok." Dimitri breathed. He tried to focus on Dedue in order to pick up any stray thoughts that belonged to him, but he heard nothing besides their synchronized breathing. The serenity that fell upon them was nice and all, but he really wanted results more than anything else.

So Dimitri had to come up with an actual plan and not just wait around for this phenomenon to happen. "How about I think of something, and you guess what it is?"

Dedue nodded. Dimitri closed his eyes and thought of one of his childhood friends, Felix. In hard times like these, it was hard not to think of him. He used to be attached to the hip to his prince and had the makings of an ideal knight like Glenn. Dimitri's thoughts grew more turbulent as he was painfully reminded of Glenn's demise in Duscur. How was Felix coping with the loss of his brother? He hoped that he wasn't doing too poorly…

"Well? What am I thinking?" His eyes shot wide open.

Dedue pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

"You don't want to even take a guess?"

"Hm." He went back into his contemplative state. "You are thinking… of home."

Dimitri blinked. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He ended up shrugging his shoulders. "Eh, close enough."

"I am correct?"

"Kinda? I was thinking about one of my friends, Felix. He doesn't live in Fhirdiad, but he visits often."

"That is not close."

"You were on the right track."

Dedue shook his head fervently. "I made that guess because I read your face, not your heart. You looked like… You miss home. "

"Homesick." Dimitri blurted out. "That's our word for it."

"I understand." Dedue moved to take his hands away, but Dimitri let out a noise to make them stay put. 

"Now it's my turn to guess what you're thinking! Think of something, anything."

Dedue nodded and closed his own eyes this time. Dimitri suddenly realized how hard it was to read the expression of someone that didn't normally show much emotion. He would really have to rely on their Resonating Crests to supply him with the answer.

Which they didn't give. He heard nothing. He felt nothing. Only the steady heartbeat and the even breathing of his friend.

Dedue opened his eyes. He looked expectantly, as if waiting for an answer. Dimitri stumbled over his tongue as he came up with his reply. 

"You thought of… a friend."

"Close. I thought of my sister."

"You have a sister?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes." Dedue's face suddenly turned gloomy. "She was captured with me. I wished to see her here, but I have not yet."

"I'm sorry, Dedue." Dimitri scooted closer to him, his Crest shining brighter as he did so. He tried to recall if he had seen a girl that looked similar to his friend in during recent sessions, but nothing came to mind. Instead of bringing that up, he mentioned something else. "I… also have family imprisoned here by the dark mages. My stepsister, El, was being experimented on, like me, the last time I saw her. And there's also my stepmother, who brought me here in the first place."

"Your stepmother brought you here?" Dedue growled unexpectedly.

"Not like that! It was my fault, really. She told me to run, but I chose to fight back instead and got captured for my troubles."

Dedue's expression still didn't lighten up. "Running would not have worked. My sister and I ran. But the mages are fast and powerful."

"Not that powerful." Dimitri recalled the times he managed to stab them with a lance or punch them in the face. They bled like any other mortal. "Dedue, when we escape, I want to free your sister, along with El and my stepmother."

The Duscur boy widened his eyes in surprise. Apparently he wasn't expecting such a proclamation. Dimitri wondered for a brief moment how he really felt about their situation, if a thought like that never crossed his mind.

"Thank you." Was all Dedue said afterwards, while his grip on Dimitri's hand tightened. 

"You're welcome. Your sister is like my family too, at this point. I wouldn't dare leave her behind, not in a million years."

"Sara. Her name is Sara." Dedue told him. "How did you guess close, Dimitri?"

"Uh, I kinda cheated like you did." Dimitri let out a light laugh. "I mentioned my friend, so I thought the first thing on your mind was a friend too."

"That is not cheating. That is smart."

"I suppose, yeah. But we aren't getting anywhere like this." Dimitri put on his serious face. They needed to figure this thing out if they were to have an edge during their escape. "How about… you guess what my favorite food is?"

"Food?" A rare look of astonishment crossed Dedue's face.

"Yeah, food. Don't tell me you don't have food in Duscur."

"We do."

"That was a joke. Anyway, what do you think is my favorite food?"

Dedue stared long and hard into Dimitri's eyes. Unlike the previous round, there was no way he could pick up cues from his face. At least, he hoped there wasn't anything that gave his answer away.

"A fancy food." Dedue announced after much scrutinizing.

"Care to be more specific?"

"A fancy and delicious food."

"Delicious, yes. Fancy, I don't know," Dimitri sighed. "If you can count Gautier Cheese Gratin as fancy. It's a simple dish that anyone can make, although only people in Gautier or nobles have access to Gautier cheese."

Dedue still stared at him. He didn't understand a word he said, didn't he? Dimitri sighed again and shook his head. "Nevermind. Now I'm going to guess your favorite food. It's…"

He drew a blank. What kind of food did Dedue like? The two prisoners were served simple fare like fruit and bread, so they never really talked about their meals. Well, he did know that Dedue wasn't a picky eater. And Duscur was a mountainous region, so they wouldn't cook grains that often. Maybe he was a meat person? In order to get a physique like that, he had to eat a lot of meat.

"Duscur bear steak!" That was honestly the only meat specialty he knew from Duscur.

Dedue snorted. Dimitri squinted his eyes. Did he laugh just now? Any sign of humor was quickly erased when he resumed his usual taciturn appearance.

"That is not correct. Duscur bear is delicious, but it is not my favorite."

"Then what is?"

"Fish." Dedue said confidently.

"Fish?"

"You do not have fish in Fodlan?"

"We do but… hey!" Dimitri exclaimed in a false outrage. "You can't copy my joke!"

Dedue flinched. His hurt expression was not one he expected to see. Dimitri hurriedly corrected himself by saying whatever apology to mind. "Sorry about that. What I just said was a joke too."

"You are not angry?"

"How can I be angry at a joke? Even if it's one that you stole from me." Dimitri chuckled. "What kind of fish do you like, Dedue?"

"Any fish." His voice grew softer. "My father and I caught fish in a river. My mother and sister cooked soup with fish and plants from our garden. It was not fancy, but it was delicious."

"Oh." Dimitri muttered. He didn't like the sudden turn this conversation turned. Not because it made him sad for Dedue's loss, but because it made him aware of how little he actually knew of him. For having known each other for months upon end, Dimitri only just now knew that he had a sister and that he liked fish.

He pulled his hand away from Dedue's chest. His Crest winked away into nothingness. Dedue reached out to grab him again, but Dimitri shook his head.

"Let's just forget about this Resonance stuff. I want to know more about you, even if you have to say it. I'll tell you all about myself too."

Dedue stayed silent again. For a moment, Dimitri thought that he had overstepped. He thought that Dedue would be more receptive to his idea, but maybe he was a naturally guarded person no matter how close they were, and such suggestions made him uncomfortable.

He didn't need to worry. Dedue eventually gave him the slightest of nods. "I would like that. But you will talk more. My Fodlan is not good."

"That's another thing. I want to teach you how to speak better Fodlan. And in return, you teach me more Duscur."

Another pause. This time, Dedue broke much more quickly. "Yes. I would like that too."

"Great! So, where should I begin…? Oh! I can tell you about my other friends. Besides Felix, there's also Sylvain and Ingrid…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose this counts as a filler chapter but I wanted a bit of a breather before things pick up again. Also I like writing Dimitri and Dedue being cute together~


	9. Resonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other children, test subjects really, are brought before Dimitri to be saved.

The first child Bias brought in was from Duscur.

He had wavy, chestnut colored hair and dark brown skin drenched in sweat. His hazel eyes darted around the room. But even if the child wanted to run away, he couldn't. His legs were bent in an unusual way, probably from a previous attempt to walk, and Bias stood in the doorway like an unwanted guardian.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" She glared at Dimitri.

He held out a hand towards the boy. Strangely, there was no fire in his heart that drew him in. He couldn't get the boy's Crest to light up from a distance, like what he did with Dedue that night. None of these warning signs deterred Dimitri in his efforts. What did give him pause was the way the mousy boy scampered backwards and yelped when he got closer.

Dedue crouched down and held out his own hand. He said something in the Duscur language. Having been taught a few sayings by him over the last two days, Dimitri could make out the words for 'friend' and 'safe'. He repeated those words the best he could. The boy turned his attention towards the strange Faerghus boy who didn't speak very good Duscurian at all. He was still wary, but at least now Dimitri could get close enough to hold his hand.

"I'm a friend." Dimitri repeated in the Fodlan tongue. He chanted that phrase in his mind as he placed their hands over each other's chest. The Crest of Blaiddyd blinked into existence over Dimitri's chest. He took deep breaths, trying to reach for the same Crest in the boy's heart, but he grabbed at nothing. 

Dedue spoke in Duscurian again. The boy quieted his panicked breathing. Dimitri felt his heartbeat slow down by a barely distinguishable amount. He hoped that it was enough. He drew upon his Crest again and searched for the latent power that should be there. 

Still nothing. The child's hands still rattled, still dripped with sweat. No matter how many sweet words Dedue whispered, no matter how long Dimitri held on, the boy was still plagued with pain. Bias's blood red eyes bored holes into the back of Dimitri's head.

"How disappointing." She sighed.

"Please, I can do this." Dimitri pleaded with her.

"I have nothing to lose by leaving his boy here." She admitted. "But he will not last the night if you don't Resonate with him."

She turned to leave. The rest of the day was spent holding onto the boy's hands and feeling his heartbeat. Dedue's tone changed from comforting to somber as the hours dragged on. The boy occasionally muttered the same words back. As he closed his eyes and fell unconscious, Dimitri and Dedue gathered in one bed. All three bodies huddled together in a desperate attempt to keep the boy alive with touch.

"What did you say to him?" Dimitri asked Dedue quietly.

"Now? I pray to the goddess of healing."

"Ah." Dimitri has heard about the religion worshipped on Duscur. It was composed of a pantheon of gods instead of one goddess and several saints like Fodlan. 

"Would… would it be ok if I prayed to my goddess for him?" He wasn't sure how that was going to work. Did the goddess care for souls that weren't born in her domain?

"... If you want." Dedue said after contemplation. "This boy is growing colder. It would not hurt to pray to your goddess."

"Of course." Dimitri muttered. As he recited a prayer that was ingrained in him since birth, a dismal thought crossed his mind. The goddess didn't even seem to care about her own subjects. After all, she never answered the many prayers he offered during his stay here. 

Still, he prayed. Like Dedue said, he had nothing to lose. The two boys prayed together until drowsiness overtook them and forced them to sleep. When they woke up, the boy's heart beat no longer.

Dimitri cried and cried. He didn't notice Bias when she arrived to take the body away. Dedue offered his shoulder to Dimitri, and didn't flinch when rivers of tears soaked his shirt. He even started to cry too, although the trickles down his face were nothing compared to Dimitri's torrents. 

Bias didn't leave them with much time to mourn. She returned with more children, one after another. Most of them were from Duscur, but a few of them were from Fodlan. Dimitri found it harder to deal with their agony when he could understand them. In between groans of pain, they asked questions he couldn't answer and called out to a goddess that he knew wasn't listening.

Sometimes, the children passed on in mere hours. Other times, they lingered for days until their bodies couldn't last anymore. Everytime, Dimitri and Dedue cried after they had failed. 

Dimitri was starting to dread Bias's arrival. Another child meant another draining attempt at Resonance, another sleepless night, another lost soul that couldn't be saved. She began to get frustrated with the lack of results too.

"Have you two been up to something naughty while no one is watching?" She glowered at Dimitri and Dedue. While the latter had no clue what she was talking about, Dimitri's face immediately turned bright red.

"No! What makes you think that?!"

"I did further research on Crest Resonance. From what I can gather, it occurred mostly among-" She stopped herself suddenly, like she was about to let slip something that young ears shouldn't hear.

"Among what?"

"Nevermind me." Bias waved away his question. "Anyway, this will be your last chance. If you can't fix her, then you can't fix anyone."

Before Dimitri could ask for clarification, she beckoned her dark mages in. A pair of masked men carried on their shoulders a young girl with dark skin and long, silver hair that hung limply. As they unceremoniously dumped her on the floor, her bright green eyes shot open and she let out a yelp.

"Sara?!" Dedue rushed to the girl's size. He gently placed her head in his lap and clutched her hand.

"De… due…" His sister replied back weakly.

Dimitri should have been glad to see a family's reunion. Instead, he felt his heart sinking like a stone. He failed to save so many other children. What if he couldn't save someone that mattered so much to his friend?

Dedue didn't have the same qualms. He called Dimitri over with a frightened look in his eyes.

"Please." He begged. "Save Sara."

Dimitri knelt down beside them. Sara didn't shy away from him. As he grasped her hands, Dedue stroked her hair and mumbled some loving words in the Duscur language. Dimitri understood what he was saying mostly from the tone of his voice, rather than the words themselves. He was telling Sara that everything was going to be ok and a friend was here to help.

Dimitri breathed. Her heartbeat was strong, stronger than the other children he met. She was a fighter like her brother. All he had to do was summon his Crest to stabilize the power that slowly tore apart her body.

Sara breathed. Her whimpers of pain died down with Dedue's gentle words of encouragement. Dimitri sensed a warmth in her heart that glowed blue. That warmth was an unbridled inferno, scorching everything it touched. But Dimitri did not fear it. He couldn't fear it, or else he won't be able to save her.

The fire of the Crest of Blaiddyd couldn't be tamed. Sara whimpered as it flared in power and ignored the commands of Dimitri's Crest. Why wasn't this working? Why was his goddess given birthright failing him at a time like this?! A deep frown grew on his face as he struggled to connect with her like he connected with her brother.

Another set of hands intertwined with theirs. Dedue had joined in. They rearranged themselves so that each one of them held onto the hands and hearts of the other two Crest bearers. 

They breathed. Dedue's Crest blazed to life, illuminating the huddle alongside Dimitri's Crest. The combined might of the two Crests coaxed the fire within Sara. Slowly but surely, a faint blue light sparked over her chest. Her breathing grew less labored, her brows less furrowed. Dimitri watched that glimmer of light with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

The fire in her chest exploded. The light extinguished itself in an instant. As soon as it vanished, Sara screamed and curled up into a ball. Dimitri also cried out as he released his grip on everyone else. What happened?! They were so close, why did it disappear so suddenly?! Dedue cradled Sara as she thrashed about in pain. Dimitri grabbed her hands roughly and manifested his Crest again. He will save her, no matter what it may take. He pushed his way into her heart and once again sensed the warmth he sought. This time, it laid dormant, smouldering like a heap of once-lit coals. He tried to use his Crest to reignite it, but that only elicited a blood-curdling scream from Sara. 

"Dimitri! Stop!" Dedue shook his shoulders. "You are hurting her!" 

His shouts of concern snapped Dimitri out of his obsessive trance. He stared down at the frail girl and the bruises he left with his tight grip. How could he have done that? He didn't mean to hurt her. He just wanted to save her. And yet, her face was growing paler, her skin colder, her heartbeat slower. Life was fading away with each passing second.

"That's a shame." Bias mumbled from her corner. "It seemed like she wasn't compatible with the Crest of Blaiddyd. I had such high hopes too, considering her brother was our only success…"

Dimitri didn't have the energy to retort. But he did have the energy to release the tears that accumulated in his eyes. Droplets fell on her skin marred by the mages' experiments. Dedue hung his head low, shedding tears for his dying sister as well. Sara summoned every ounce of her remaining strength to wrap her arms around Dedue's neck. She whispered something into his ears, then pecked his cheek with a kiss. Dimitri didn't need to know the definition of her words to know what she meant.

_ "Be good. I love you." _

Her arms fell limp. Dedue howled. It was the most gut-wrenching noise Dimitri had ever heard in his life. Then, unexpectedly, he grabbed Dimitri and pulled his closer. They embraced so tightly, Dimitri could feel the shattering heart of a boy who lost his only family. He didn't know what to say or what to do besides hug back and cry. As they wept and shuddered and poured tears like rain clouds, the Crest of Blaiddyd shone over their chests with a melancholic blue light. 


	10. Symbol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedue has some thoughts about the Crest of Blaiddyd, his sister, and Dimitri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add these notes to the end of the previous chapter but I didn't want to ruin the mood so here we are now.
> 
> 1\. I considered keeping Sara alive and making her part of the gang because she would introduce a fun dynamic. But I ultimately decided against it for a stronger emotional moment. Plus I wouldn't really know what to do with her.
> 
> 2\. I also originally planned to introduce a bunch of OCs to make up Dimitri's 'army', but changed my mind when it would require too much effort and take away from Dimitri and Dedue's relationship. After finishing this story, I think I made the right decision in the end.
> 
> Anyway time for more angst, yay~

Dedue had seen the Crest of Blaiddyd three times in his life before he was imbued with it.

The first time was when his family was still alive. The chieftain of his village approached his father with a request. He wanted a lance with the insignia of the royal family of Faerghus engraved on its silver tip. This lance was to be a present for the aforementioned family, during a conference with them held in two weeks. Dedue recalled the chieftain handing his father a parchment with a starry symbol drawn on it. Being the blacksmith's eldest son, he was to inherit the business when it was time, so he often aided his father in his forging. This job was no exception, even though the lance's recipient was of great importance. In fact, the pressure spurred him to work harder than usual.

It also hammered that symbol into his mind as he pondered over it more and more. All the clans of Duscur had their own special emblem, but it was just that. A fancy design that held no power in the physical world. However, the emblem of the royal family seemed sacred to the people of Faerghus. When Dedue asked his father why that was, his father shrugged and gave a strange sounding answer.

"The story goes, some people of Fodlan received power from their goddess. This power granted them power beyond mortal limits, and the ability to wield devastating weapons. That power, called a Crest, was passed down through the generations. The symbol that we will carve into this lance is called the Crest of Blaiddyd, the holy power held by the royal family of the Kingdom of Faerghus."

Dedue nodded. But his father continued on. "Have you ever seen a Crest in action, son?"

"No." Of course he wouldn't have. He was a blacksmith's son, not a soldier.

"Your uncle, my brother, was once led into battle against a Crest bearer." His father's voice grew more horrified as he wove his tale. "The Crest bearer slaughtered countless foes like a butcher slaughters animals. His sword called lightning from the skies and burnt the land with his fury. My brother was lucky to escape with his life."

Dedue stared at his father incredulously. He has heard many stories about mortal men brandishing the power of gods, but they were just fantasy. Words to excite and inspire. His father spoke about an event that really occurred. It was unbelievable, yet to deny such a thing would paint his father as a liar.

"I would tell you to hope that you will never have to fight against a Crest bearer." His father continued on, unhindered by Dedue's doubt. "But if this lance does its job, and peace is forged between our nations, then you will have to never have to live with such a fear. So hope that all goes well during the meeting with the Faerghus king."

"I will." Dedue agreed. At that moment, the symbol that the chieftain had presented them became a symbol of hope.

The second time he saw the Crest of Blaiddyd, it was a symbol of fear. The soldiers of Faerghus bore flags with it as they marched through their village. They torched houses that Dedue’s ancestors built, uprooted crops that had taken all summer to grow, and cut down villagers that dared to oppose them.

His mother and father were gone. Dedue saw their falling shadows as they fled their house. But he couldn't mourn for them now. His sister, Sara, clung to his clothes as they trampled through the flames. He did his best to cover her eyes so she would only focus on running. Dedue would absorb the grisly sights of death and flames for her.

They were nearing the edge of their village when a man in black robes and a beaked mask stepped in their way. He lifted a gloved hand with an aura of shadowy fire around it. He said something in Fodlanese, which was hard to interpret with the roar of destruction around them. But as more unusually garbed men stepped closer to surround them, he understood their intentions. If they wanted them dead, they would have used their dark magic to kill them already. So they wanted them alive. But for what purpose?

Sara screamed as they dragged the two children of Duscur to a wagon. The mages didn't need to handcuff them when they had the threat of magic in their palms. In retrospect, Dedue and Sara should have tried to escape then. An untimely death would be better than the horrendous fate that awaited them. But he was too scared and too angry to think clearly. All he could do was watch a flag with the Crest of Blaiddyd shrink in the distance while they were carted away from their burning home.

The third time he saw the Crest of Blaiddyd, it lit up the cell across from his. Dedue didn't know what to think of it as he listened to the blonde boy's pained words. His father told him it was a symbol of hope. The soldiers used it as a symbol of fear. And to this boy, who undoubtedly the lost prince of Faerghus, it was both the symbol of his proud ancestry and the cause of his suffering. 

He hated that boy when he first arrived. His village was razed and his parents were slain in the prince's name. Surely the heir to the kingdom that committed such vile acts must be vile himself, right? Dedue's animosity only grew as Dimitri tried to talk to him. His tone was belittling, like Dedue was a dumb savage that didn't know the Fodlan tongue. The boy attempted to reach out to him again and again, out of pity. Dedue rebuffed those attempts with silence. He told himself that he didn't need help from the one who started all this.

But, as the Crest of Blaiddyd strained its bearer, maybe Dimitri was the one that needed help. His title held no meaning here. His power only brought him pain. His whimpering belonged to a scared child that was trapped in a frightful place, surrounded by mages that warped his body into something unrecognizable. A scared child like Dedue. Like Sara.

That night, Dedue saw past his Crest and saw the boy for who he was. He had come to terms with that accursed symbol and what it stood for, but that didn't mean he was prepared to have that same Crest implanted in him.

It hurt. It felt like he was being burned alive in a red-hot forge, with no water or cool air to grant him reprieve. His mind was consumed by the scorching power of this Crest, a power granted by the goddess of a foreign land. The only relief came when Dimitri held his hands, breathed in unison with him, and quelled the fire in his chest.

Dedue owed him his life. If they were in a normal situation he would have stayed with Dimitri until he repaid his debt, but he felt like he didn't deserve to be in the same room as him. He treated the prince so cruelly during the first weeks or so. He ignored him out of spite and cursed his very existence. Yet Dimitri's kindness persisted and accumulated into this whole mess.

What was Dedue to do with the Crest of Blaiddyd, a power that only the royal family of Faerghus was supposed to have? Yes, it granted him unfathomable strength. He could twist steel with his bare hands and pulverize wood with a single punch. His newfound power actually frightened him at first, like how his father's tale of the Crest bearer scared him, but once he learned how to control it, Dedue didn't think it was so bad at all. He could harness this power to break out of here, save his sister, rebuild his village…

He was honestly more worried about the implications. Dedue said that he and Dimitri were basically brothers, but he didn't stop to think about the meaning of what he said until sometime later. If the others knew that an outsider had a beloved symbol of the royal family, there would be chaos. Other less savory people might seek them out, hoping to get a slice of that pie by other means necessary. 

Dimitri didn't seem to care that this foreigner had it. In fact, he was using it as an excuse to get closer. Dedue kept his distance, still believing that he didn't deserve his company. But his own heart betrayed him. Whenever they held hands, his Crest sang. Whenever they Resonated, a sense of tranquility flowed through his veins. Whenever they were apart, his Crest yearned for its twin. This bond between the prince of Faerghus and a boy from Duscur was like the latter's life debt given form. 

The old Dedue would have hated Dimitri and the mages for binding him to a stranger. But the present Dedue knew better. He knew that Dimitri didn't intend for any of this to happen. He needed to instead focus his rage at the dark mages who made this all possible. They were the ones who kidnapped him and Sara and so many other Duscur children. They were the ones who tortured them with knives and needles and magic. They were the ones that made Dedue watch his sister die before his very eyes.

"Sara…" He murmured while laying on his bed. His cheeks were still damp from his endless streams of tears. Sara, his beloved little sister, was gone. His only reason for living, for enduring this torment, was gone. She left behind a hole in his heart that he could never hope to fill. The only way he could recover from it was to tear his heart out of his chest, Crest included. What good was his new power if it couldn't protect the only family he had left?

Dedue couldn't sleep. He turned himself so he faced Dimitri, who was sleeping on his bed a few feet away. The poor boy tried his best to comfort him after the mages hauled Sara's body away. He tried talking, hugging, crying, Resonating. But Dedue was more distraught than Dimitri was when he found out about his father's death. Dimitri had no choice but to give up and leave him alone for now.

It appeared that Sara's death also prevented Dimitri from sleeping. He tossed and turned restlessly before he flipped over to face Dedue. His blue eyes slowly blinked open and met the other's green gaze.

"Dedue?" He spoke quietly.

Dedue said nothing. Not out of malice, like their first encounter. This time, he said nothing because he didn't want his heart to bleed again.

"Do you want to join me in my bed?" Dimitri asked without waiting for a response. Dedue turned so that his eyes stared at the ceiling instead of Dimitri.

"... Can I join you then?" He asked.

Dedue didn't move. Dimitri took that as a yes and moved into his bed. He laid down next to Dedue and grabbed his arm like he always did when he was here.

He couldn't help but admire the prince of Faerghus. Dimitri talked a lot, cried a lot, and wore his emotions on his sleeve. But his heart was the source of his strength. It enabled him to reach out to anyone that would reach back, and drove him to do the impossible. While whenever Dedue had to deal with strong emotions that threatened to overflow into the real world, he just kind of choked them down and waited for them to pass.

"Dedue?" Dimitri whispered. "I'm really sorry that I couldn't save Sara."

It wasn't your fault, Dedue thought. Blame her death on the dark mages, on Bias, even on himself. He was the one who couldn't protect Sara from being captured in the first place.

"If…" Dimitri choked back a sob. "If I didn't Resonate with her, she might've lived longer. I stoked the flames until they became too much."

Dedue felt that as well. He felt the fire in her heart, raging like the blaze that took their village. Both of them tried to control it together, but instead it blew up in their faces and disintegrated into ash.

He didn't think that their Resonance caused her end, however. It might have sped it up, but he believed that Sara would have preferred a quick death over a drawn out one. After all, she was always a fighter, so they had to give her a fighting chance.

Those words were on his tongue, but he couldn't let them go. Dismayed by Dedue's silence, Dimitri sighed and released his hold.

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me. Good night."

He moved to get off. For some reason, Dedue stretched out an arm and grabbed him before he left.

"You can stay." Dedue muttered. His voice had not recovered from his grieving earlier. It still quivered like a dead leaf clinging to a branch. He hated how he sounded, but he hated how sorrowful Dimitri sounded more.

Dimitri wordlessly slipped back into his bed. He did not latch onto his arm last time, but placed a gentle hand on it. The kind boy was waiting for a response. Now was the time to give him one, or else he will leave again.

"... It is not your fault." His newfound courage straightened out his voice, but it was still a bit shaky. "The mages killed her."

"But I was supposed to save her." Dimitri whispered back.

"You do not know that. Maybe it was impossible to save her. You at least gave her a quick end."

"By hurting her…"

"And then she passed on." Dedue hesitated, trying to find the right words to convey how he felt. "If you did not try, then she would have suffered for a long time. I would have, too."

"Dedue…" Dimitri tightened his grip on the other boy's arm.

"Do not hurt yourself over what is done. I… You need to be well. For your family."

He was about to say that he himself needed Dimitri to be well. Dedue honestly and truly felt that way, but be was afraid of what Dimitri would think of him once those words left his lips. 

"That's right." Dimitri said wistfully, like he just remembered that he still had a stepmother and stepsister to save. He didn't dwell on that thought for long, however. "But what about you?"

"Me?" Dedue blinked.

"Yes. I know you cried a lot, but if you want to talk to someone, I'm right here. I think letting your heart speak can help at times like these."

No it wouldn't. Sara was gone, her death final. Dedue had nothing else to say on the matter, but he did have plenty of feelings. So if Dedue spoke, then he might end up crying again, then Dimitri would cry, and Dedue would feel even worse about it.

"Is it alright if I do the talking then?" Dimitri asked as if he knew what Dedue was thinking. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Dedue had no choice but to nod.

"Thank you." Dimitri breathed. "I'm just trying to help, because you helped me when you told me my father died."

Which was an accident. Dedue didn't even make the connection between his father and the king of Faerghus until Dimitri teared up over it. Dedue couldn't even really say that he helped Dimitri when he was the one to break the bad news in the first place.

"You helped me sort out my feelings and what I wanted to do about it. Besides my family, I want those mages to pay for what they did. You still feel the same, right?"

Another nod accompanied a troubling thought. When Dimitri declared Dedue's unspoken desire for retribution out loud sometime after they Resonated, Dedue was surprised. He had never expected such a violent statement out of a boy who saved lives with kindness. He worried for a brief moment that their Resonance worked both ways, that Dimitri obtained this want through Dedue. Would it be better if that was the truth, or would it be easier to accept that Dimitri was tainted with darkness all this time?

Neither answer was better than the other. Dimitri also had no intention of clarifying this mystery right now. In fact, his one-sided conversation took a different turn. "But you don't have any family left, or even a home to return to. You only have vengeance."

Vengeance was fine. If Dedue could kill the ones that caused the Tragedy, then his parents and sister could rest in peace. 

"Wh-what I'm trying to say is…" Dimitri fumbled around with his words. Dedue's silence and dark expression must be tripping him up. "... Is that I need you."

Dedue flinched. How could this boy need him, a child from his Kingdom's current enemy? It was only by pure chance that the two of them even became connected. If Dimitri and his kindness hadn't stepped in, Dedue would have moved on from this world. And what good had his kindness done? Sara still died. Duscur was still burnt to the ground. He existed now as a husk of a man, scrambling for revenge. And husks did not deserve any more kindness. It would be easier if, once they escaped, Dimitri resumed his life as a prince and Dedue faded away.

"Don't look at me like that." Dedue wasn't even looking at Dimitri, yet the boy sounded upset. "I'm serious."

"Why?" The first word he had spoken in minutes felt heavy on his tongue.

"Because you're the only kind soul in this place. Without you, I think I would have died long ago, or gone mad."

"I… am not that kind." He mumbled. How could he say that, when Dedue shunned him when they first met, told him about his father's death in a callous way, planted the seeds for revenge in his head, and now made him cry?

"Nonsense." Dimitri shook his head. "You comforted me while I was grieving and cared for me while I was ill. You indulged in my whims, even when it meant sacrificing space in your bed. If that doesn't count as kindness, I don't know what will."

Dedue needed him to stop talking, or else his heart would burst.

"Dedue, when we Resonate, it's not a one person job." Dimitri's hand, which was formerly on Dedue's upper arm, now crept down to his own hand. "We are equals. So don't think that you don't deserve to hear what I'm saying. You're just as kind as me. And I need you as much as you need me."

Dimitri curled his thin fingers around calloused ones. Dedue didn't mean to do so, but he stilled his breathing so it became more calm and even. The Crest of Blaiddyd gradually glowed into view over both of their chests, revealing tears that accumulated in the corners of Dedue's eyes.

"I… I thought that you could not tell what I was thinking when we did this." He wondered out loud.

"I don't need to Resonate to know what's bothering you." Dimitri replied. "But please, Dedue. You're like family to me now. I'll withstand any trial with you, just so you won't be alone."

Family. What a strange notion. They were so different in so many ways. Yet, as their hands and hearts were connected, they were alike in even more ways. Their bond may have started from this Crest they shared, but their kindness ensured that the bond survived in this hellish place. And they needed that bond if they ever hoped to leave this nightmare behind. They needed each other.

"Family…"

"Are you ok with that, Dedue?" Dimitri asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Dedue vocalized their thoughts out loud anyway. Tears trickled down his cheeks and this time he didn't try to suppress them, because Dimitri sported those same watery marks on his face.

"Thank you. For everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case people were wondering, in this story, Dedue's uncle was a mercenary that fought against House Charon once. I'm not implying that there was once a war between Duscur and Faerghus, although I'm also not saying that couldn't have happened either. It's just a minor detail I feel like mentioning.


	11. Schemes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two mages have a discussion that shouldn't be said within earshot of Dedue.

After the dark mages realized that they were stuck with their army of two, they shifted their focus from quantity to quality. They subjected Dimitri and Dedue to harsh training sessions in order to improve their bodies and control over their Crests. The two boys played along for now. These kinds of tests were preferable over the endless needle sticking and surgeries they suffered through earlier, and not just because they hurt less. By training, they would eventually become strong enough to break out of this place and kill them all.

That goal was his singular focus as Dedue practiced maneuvers with an axe. The swing of an axe was a familiar motion to him, picked up from his time as a blacksmith's son. What made it even more comforting was imagining the training dummy he was hitting as a dark mage. His Crest of Blaiddyd flashed with each stroke, enabling him to slice the poor thing open with one blow. When one fell, more would pop up from the ground. He wasn't sure what magic or contraption allowed this steady stream of targets, but he didn't mind it at all.

"So, this is the only successful Crest recipient." A deep voice remarked from behind him. 

Dedue pretended that he didn't hear anything. If he acted like he couldn't understand Fodlanese, he could eavesdrop on conversations held between dark mages. Nowadays, some of them knew that he understood a little bit, thanks to his brief talks with Dimitri, but most of them still didn't know or didn't care.

The owner of that voice soon revealed himself. A tall dark mage with white and black hair, pupiless eyes, and strange dangling earrings accompanied Bias. They were close enough that he could turn around and cut their heads off with a well-aimed toss, but he knew better than to give into such impulses. These dark mages gave credence to their names, in that they always had some trick hidden in the shadows.

"Yes. We have been unable to create more like him." Bias sounded more annoyed about the other dark mage's presence than her failure. "As I already told you, my research indicated that in this particular case, the initial Resonating pair of Major Crest bearers can only completely Resonate with each other. It was… not a development we were expecting."

Dedue couldn't understand everything that they said. However, he could pick up their tones and inflections, and sometimes what they didn't mean to say told him everything he needed to know.

"Yes. That much is obvious." The male dark mage clutched the top of his staff. He paused as he stared at Dedue, as if reluctant to continue. Bias noticed such reluctance and flashed a toothy grin.

"Let me guess, you're scared about eavesdropping beasts? This one in particular is not fluent in our tongue, so you don't need to worry about him. And even if he can understand us, it's not like he can stop our schemes now."

"Such line of thinking will spell your demise, Bias." The other mage shook his head. Dedue thought that they would leave shortly afterwards, but the duo remained where they were. It seemed like the visitor heeded Bias's advice anyway.

"Regardless, I did not fund your research in order for you to produce only two successes. One of whom you went through great trouble to procure."

"That boy?" Bias laughed. "He was a bonus prize from an entirely separate mission."

"Even so, you have not met my expectations."

"Come now, Thales. Surely you must see the merit in my research, even if it hasn't produced the army you were expecting. The Major Crest of Blaiddyd is a powerful Crest. Perhaps just as powerful as your beloved Crest of Flames."

"Bold of you to assume that." The man growled.

"What I'm saying is that I have the future leader of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus at my fingertips, like you have the heir to the Adrestian Empire in yours. Between the two of us, our plans for Fodlan are the closest they’ve ever been to succeeding."

"Do you really have that boy at your fingertips? He doesn't trust you, and you haven't made any effort to remedy that."

"Oh, I have plenty of time. I still do have my place in the court, after all, and with that fool as king regent, manipulating the games that these beasts play have never been easier."

"On the contrary, I have a different plan for these two."

Bias whirled around to face her partner, her pink hair fluttering as she did so. "Come again?"

"Edelgard is not doing well. No doubt because of the damage that boy caused earlier. I'd say that leadership of this project is an adequate price to pay for reparations, would you?"

Bias somehow grew even paler. She clenched her teeth and pursed her lips in a way that made her face uglier. "You can't do this to me, Thales! After all I had done for you, you would strip me of my greatest work?!"

"You still have your job in the Kingdom's court. And, if you cooperate, perhaps you can still be part of my team as a supervisor." The man seemed like he enjoyed taunting her like this.

Bias wasn't nearly as amused. "Why do you want them? You already have your hands full with your primary project."

"I need backup test subjects in case the princess expires. If you think they are strong now, imagine how powerful they will be with a second Crest. They will surely become our ultimate weapons."

"That's…" Bias hissed through her teeth. Dedue slowed down in his training dummy rampage so his axe strikes wouldn't drown out their words. Did he hear that correctly? This man would give them a second Crest if he got his hands on them? Dedue didn't know much about Crests, but he was pretty sure that wasn't possible. 

Then again, he once didn't think it possible to give a non-Crest bearer a Crest. How much would this experiment hurt, he wondered.

"What's wrong, Bias?" Thales sneered. "You know that I'm correct."

"... Yes you are." She eventually relented, although she didn't sound any better for it. "Would you permit me to conduct one last test with them? It's essential to cap off my research."

"Very well. How long will you need?"

"I can have it ready in three days, then finish the write-up in four."

"So you wish for a week before the transition begins." Thales muttered. "That is acceptable. Make sure that you do not break your promise, or else I won't be so lenient again."

The dark mages' attention turned to Dedue, who had paused to drink in every last word. Realizing that they might have caught on to his eavesdropping, he resumed his training. The two of them turned away without any further comment.

* * *

"Dimitri." Dedue called out to him once they were alone in their room.

"Yes, Dedue?" His bright blue eyes perked up in an instant.

"I heard something worrying today." Dedue paused. He wasn't sure how to explain what he just heard when he didn't understand everything the mages said. But he relayed conversations to Dimitri before, and the boy was clever enough to fill in the blanks.

"What did you hear?"

"There was another mage with Bias. He was tall and pale like her, and had white and black hair. His name was Tal-less."

"Thales? Can't say I know him." Dimitri shook his head. Dedue didn't expect him to, seeing as he himself only saw this mage for the first time today.

"He said…" Dedue tried his hardest to remember the moment. "He said that he was going to take the project from Bias."

"Really? Why is he going to do that? What's going to happen to Bias?"

Dedue could tell that he wasn't asking this out of concern for her. They weren't going to be distraught if the face of their torture left for good. What they were more troubled about was if the new leader was crueler than Bias.

"Bias failed. She only made the two of us. Thales is not happy with that. But he also said that she still has her job in the Kingdom's… court."

Dedue squinted as he said his last word. He wasn't sure what the word 'court' meant. Was it like a garden? Was Bias secretly a gardener for the royal family?

Dimitri, however, understood him completely. "She's one of my father's advisors." He gasped. "How could that be? I have never seen anyone like her in my life!"

"Maybe she can change her appearance." And her attitude, Dedue thought grimly, since a sadistic demeanor like the one she displayed here would surely draw attention in the outside world.

"I can't believe this. This is how she managed to rope my stepmother into her plans in the first place. But how did a witch like her become part of my father's court?" He lamented. His eyes darted back and forth frantically as terrible thoughts plagued his mind.

"Calm down, Dimitri." Dedue reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "When we kill her, she will not be in the court anymore."

"Yes. That's true."

"And that is not the only thing. Thales said that once he takes his project, he will give us a second Crest."

Dimitri was rendered speechless. Perhaps Dedue should have given him all of these revelations more slowly and gently. The astonished boy seated himself on his bed, and Dedue joined him.

"A second Crest? Is that possible?" He fell into deep contemplation. As the crown prince of Faerghus, he surely knew more about Crests than a blacksmith's son from Duscur. Yet, this sudden news seemed to have baffled him.

"I once thought it was impossible to have a Crest, but here I am."

"What second Crest will they give us? Did he say?"

"He mentioned the… Crest of Flames." Dedue noticed that the Crests were usually named after people. So what kind Crest was the Crest of Flames, to bear the name of a primal force of nature?

Dimitri also did not have a clue. "I never heard of that one."

"He did not explain much about it. But he did also talk about his first project. I think… Thales has a princess and gave her a second Crest. Then you did something to hurt her. So that is also why he wants to take us from Bias. For revenge."

Dimitri's knuckles whitened as he curled his hands into fists. He looked as though he already knew what Dedue was speaking of, but he asked the question on his mind anyway. "Did the man mention a name?"

"Yes. Her name was… El-de-guard."

"Edelgard." Dimitri corrected him. "My stepsister."

He flopped onto his bed, covering his eyes with an arm. He must have been aware of what they were doing to her on a subconscious level, since he didn't burst into tears over this. But he still let out a prolonged groan and refused to meet Dedue's worried gaze.

"Dimitri, are you alright?"

"It's my fault." He mumbled. "The first time I came here, they showed her to me. I broke in and tried to save her from the devices she was hooked up to. But I only hurt her instead."

"She is not dead yet." Dedue reassured him. "We can still save her, and your stepmother."

"We have to." Dimitri sounded better as he sat back up. "Did the mage say when he was going to take over?"

"A week. Bias wants to give us a final test first, in three days."

"A final test…" Dimitri fell quiet as he sought to decipher what she meant by that. When he came up with an answer, he sounded a bit excited for some reason.

"Dedue, what test did the mages put you through before they gave you the Crest?"

"Hm." Dedue held some fingers to his chin. His memories of months past were a bit hazy thanks to all the torture and bouts of pain, but he couldn't forget that final test even if he tried. It was so outlandish and it almost killed him, yet he managed to prevail against all odds.

"I fought against a giant man made of steel. No. Not of steel. A different metal, one I do not know."

"And it carried a huge sword and shield, right?"

"Yes. You know what I speak of?" Dedue glanced at Dimitri.

"I do." Dimitri nodded. "Bias called it a Titanus."

"And you think that she will use those metal men against us, in three days."

"I'm actually counting on it." A smile lit up his face. "If she does, then I have an escape plan in mind."

"What kind of escape plan?" Dedue couldn't fathom what his friend had in mind. He barely survived his last encounter with one. And now Dimitri wanted to factor them into his schemes? Despite the fact that they would try to kill them again, and the possibility that Bias might add another twist to this test?

Dimitri glanced around furtively. There was no one around that could eavesdrop on their discussion, like always, but he wanted to make sure that they were completely alone anyway. After all, if someone overheard, then all their plotting would be for naught. Once he reassured himself, he leaned in closer to whisper into Dedue's ears.

"Alright. So here is what I'm thinking…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of an exposition chapter, sorry about that! The next couple of chapters will be kinda crazy though. And on that note, there might be a small delay in posting as I'm still tweaking things and my beta reader still needs to nitpick things.


	12. Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Dedue face off against the Titanus once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split the 'breakout' chapter into two parts, because 1. The two parts are pretty different in tone and content. 2. The breakout chapter would be pretty long if they stayed combined and 3. I'm still editing the second part so I thought posting this would tide you guys over. But if I still don't manage to finish editing the second part soon, there might be another delay between chapters. Sorry about that!

As expected, Bias took Dimitri and Dedue to their final test in the arena, three days later. She strapped on some strange devices on their arms, shoved weapons into their hands, and pushed them out the door.

Less expectedly, they came face to face against two Titanuses. Their metallic foes were similar to each other, in that they both wielded giant swords and towering shields and moved in the same way. But their glowing lines and spots were conveniently different colors. One Titanus shone a bright blue color like last time, and the second was adorned with ruby red markings.

With two giants in the ring, there wasn't much room to maneuver. Whenever Dimitri dodged a charge from one Titanus, he almost jumped into a sword swing from another. He also had to keep an eye on Dedue's movements, lest they trip over each other. Luckily, the two of them haven't gotten hit yet. They were focused on playing defensively, evaluating their opponents, finding any new changes, and coming up with a strategy. 

But they had to act sometime. It was likely that their stamina or the mages' patience would run out before the Titanuses' power source did. Dimitri held up his electrified lance as he pressed his back against Dedue's. His friend wielded what looked like a modified bolt axe, designed with more angles and geometric patterns than the other bolt axes he had seen.

"Dedue." He spoke up. "Remember what I said the other day? How I took down my Titanus?"

"Yes." Dedue nodded. "You made it swing its sword into the ground and it got stuck. Then you climbed on it and stabbed its head."

"But now, the Titanuses aren't falling for that trick." Dimitri frowned. He tried to look as vulnerable as possible, but none of them attacked him by striking the ground. At this rate, he was just going to get killed by a careless mistake instead.

Dimitri paused their conversation in order to avoid an energized sword slice. Also unlike before, the Titanuses were resorting to their ranged attacks earlier. It certainly made the fight more difficult, but Dimitri believed that they could manage. He regrouped with Dedue in between the giants' attacks. "So we need to immobilize them ourselves. If I could attract the attention of both of them, you can sneak around and attack the legs on one of them."

"That sounds dangerous for you." Dedue frowned. "It's two against one."

"I'll be fine. I'm not really going to try taking both of them on at once." Dimitri brandished his lance. "I'm faster than you, so I have to do this. Are you ready?"

Dedue gave him a hard stare before he nodded reluctantly. The two of them sprinted towards the opposite ends of the arena. Dimitri let out a yell to make himself known to the Titanuses, while Dedue ran noiselessly behind their opponents. The Titanus with blue lights was not fooled by Dimitri's display, and turned around to attack Dedue instead. Dimitri had to provoke it by jabbing his lance at its shield. A pulse of electricity coursed through the metal, jolting it enough to make the golem redirect its gaze towards Dimitri. He rapped his lance against its shield several more times to further aggravate it, only to hear a creak of metal behind him. He barely had enough time to dodge a sword swing from the red Titanus. Its enormous sword ended up slamming into the other Titanus's shield. The white-hot edge of the blade and the sheer strength of its wielder was enough to leave a deep gouge on the shield's formerly flawless surface.

So they were not impervious to their own attacks. That was good to know. The blue Titanus staggered backwards, into Dedue's axe. The Crest of Blaiddyd lit up over his chest as he swung with all his might at the thick, metallic pillar in front of him. His axe not only struck into the leg, but tore right through it. Sparks from his weapon joined with the cackling sparks that emanated from exposed wires. They did not deter Dedue from a second attack targeting the Titanus's other leg. He used his Crest to great effect again, almost severing its foot off completely. The Titanus sounded like it was groaning in pain as it fell onto its knees. It used both its sword and shield in order to prop itself up, but there was no way it was going to be able to fight again.

Which meant it was time for Dimitri to get to work. His Crest of Blaiddyd surged through his legs, allowing him to jump high enough to grab onto an arm. Once he climbed onto the stationary Titanus safely, he made his way to its only known weak point: the head. A furtive glance backwards revealed that Dedue already engaged the red Titanus to distract it from Dimitri. It seemed like it learned from its ally's mistake, as it rarely let Dedue near its legs. When his friend did manage to get close, flames erupted from underneath its feet, and Dedue had to back off in order to not get scorched to cinders.

Dimitri couldn't leave him with the second Titanus all by himself. He had to work quickly. Once he reached the blue one's head, he called upon his Crest to grant him the power to finish this in a single blow. His lance plunged straight into its head, sending electrified shockwaves from the point of impact. Dimitri grinded his teeth and held onto the handle tightly. The Titanus shuddered, then fell inert. This Crest of his caused Dedue and him a lot of trouble, but at least it made killing these metal men easier.

A yell from Dedue alerted him to the red Titanus's sword, now glowing red-hot and distorting the air with its heat. That blade was charging up for an extra-energized ranged attack aimed straight at Dimitri. He tried to pull his lance out in a hurry, but it wouldn't budge. Apparently he shoved it in too deeply with his Crest. Which meant that he just had to use his Crest to get it out. With his newfound surge of strength, Dimitri yanked it out in a shower of sparks.

The extra second he took to put the spear back in his hands was a second he could have used to save himself. As Dimitri was about to jump off his perch, Dedue chopped into the red Titanus's leg, but he did not halt its swing. He only caused it to jerk wildly, so the sword beam collided into the blue Titanus's chest instead of its head where Dimitri was. 

The slice of scorching heat did not mix well with the exposed innards and sputtering electricity. Dimitri was launched into the air by the resulting explosion. He, along with the remains of the blue Titanus, came crashing down a few seconds later. Waves of pain washed through his body as he landed. It wouldn't surprise him if he broke something, especially when a large panel fell from the sky and onto his left arm.

Dimitri screamed. His vision blurred and his ears rang from the explosion. All of his senses were numbed by the pain from his injuries. Dedue rushed over without a second thought in order to lift the debris that pinned his arm down.

"Dimitri! Are you alright?" He asked as he helped Dimitri up onto his feet. Despite Dimitri's burns, bruises, and bloody gashes, he still had to stand up and fight. He flexed his left arm to see if he could still move it. The surge of pain he felt was masked by adrenaline and the urgency to finish what they had started.

"Yes." Dimitri lied. He grabbed his fallen lance and strapped it to his back. Glancing around, he noticed that the blue Titanus's sword was still intact, while its damaged shield had broken apart into several pieces. At least everything else was proceeding as planned, even though he didn’t plan on getting here by blowing up one of the Titanuses.

Dedue grabbed the biggest shield fragment that he could find. It was large enough to tower over Dedue's already impressive height, and had a bent strip of metal in the back that allowed him to wear it with ease. He then turned his gaze to the sword that smoldered with residual energy. 

"Can you do this? With your arm?"

"I have to." Dimitri hurried over to the giant sword that was the length of at least three men. No ordinary human would be able to pick it up, but the prince was anything but ordinary. The Crest of Blaiddyd flared to life as he wrapped his hands around the handle and lifted it up. He did his best to ignore his protesting arm and hefted it as if it was made for the 13-year-old boy. Despite its size, he found himself recalling sword techniques that were drilled into him at an early age.

Pulling off such techniques was another matter entirely. The red Titanus lunged at them and Dimitri fumbled away awkwardly, thanks to the very heavy sword dragging him down. Their opponent ended up crashing into a wall a few feet away from the two of them. 

He planned on taking it out before enacting the next step of their scheme, but he wasn't going to last long enough like this. Other contingency plans sprang to the forefront of his mind, with one standing out in particular. Dimitri found himself staring at the window of the room where the dark mages watched this battle unfold. He recalled one of them mentioning, after his first battle with a Titanus, that they were in control of this fearsome foe. Dedue noticed his wayward gaze, and placed his hands on the hilt of the Titanus's sword.

"You will need help with that." He said in a stern voice.

Dimitri agreed with a nod and the two boys gripped the handle tightly. Their Crest shone with the brilliance of a blue sun over their chest as they prepared for their riskiest move by far.

"On the count of three." Dimitri whispered. "One… Two… THREE!"

They hurled the sword at the mages' room. It spun like a top as it crashed through the window, tore through whatever equipment was housed there, and demolished all of the walls and ceilings. The distinct cacophony of shattering glass, creaking metal, and crumbling stone was music to their ears. 

But Dimitri and Dedue couldn’t wait until the dust had settled in order to get moving. Instead of disabling the Titanus, the room’s destruction drove it into a frenzy. Its red lights flashed on and off and its arms spun in ways that were both detrimental and terrifying. They had no choice but to flee through a newly opened door and up a flight of stairs. Behind them, they heard the Titanus crashing against the wall repeatedly, as if trying to fit into an entrance that was way too small for it.

Dimitri paused when he opened the doors at the top of the stairway and caught a glimpse of the carnage they caused. Broken wires sparked and popped, providing flashes of light that revealed the mangled bodies of various mages. Some of them were simply crushed, while others were eviscerated by the spinning blade that flew through the room. Try as he might, he couldn't spot Bias amidst the wreckage, but the lack of her body didn't mean she wasn't dead. She could just be buried under the rubble. However, a part of him wished that she was still alive, just so he could strangle the life out of her body…

A quake from the Titanus’s efforts of pursuit rattled the room and generated dust clouds. Dedue grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him towards the door. "We have to leave. Now."

Dimitri nodded and headed to the back of the room where the blue Titanus’s sword blocked the way. With their Crest of Blaiddyd, it was a simple task to lift it up and clear the path to the door. The heavy object scraped against the metal walls and emitted a grating screech, but that horrible noise nor the throbbing pain in Dimitri’s arm didn’t diminish his determination.

_ Stepmother. El. Hang in there, for just a little bit longer. _


	13. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough time, the two escapees make a decision.

In the hallways, the usually serene blue lights had turned red as an alarmed blared all around them. Despite all the ruckus, there was no one here to capture them. Yet.

"We need to get to the white rooms." Dimitri stated as he grabbed the lance strapped to his back. That was where he saw Edelgard last, all those months ago. She might not actually be there anymore, but that memory was the best lead they had.

They didn't get very far until they ran into enemy mages. The group they encountered immediately raised their hands to conjure spells that would have normally put them in their place. But Dedue stepped up and blocked them all with the giant shield he picked up from the arena. In between casts, the two of them charged at the mages and cut them down in a flurry of lance jabs and axe swings. 

Defeating them was easier than taking down a Titanus. Their uniforms didn't offer much protection against actual weapons. Right after they were killed, Dimitri ran up ahead, only to notice that Dedue lingered behind. The red lights accentuated his wide eyes and shaking hands. It was at that moment that he realized that Dedue was not raised for combat like he was. He used to be a blacksmith's son, and never expected to kill another human, even ones as monstrous as these dark mages.

"We did what we had to, Dedue." Dimitri gently took his hand. "But we can’t stay here for too long. Other mages must be on their way, not to mention that Titanus."

Dedue's shock left his face as soon as he heard his words. "Of course. I am with you."

The pair of escapees ran as fast as they could. They were led through these corridors many times before, to and from the mages' experiments, so the path they should take was already ingrained in their minds. More guards showed up along the way, but whether they were masked mages or soldiers with freaky tails mattered not. Dimitri and Dedue took out anyone who stood in their way in their quest to rescue Edelgard. All the while, the halls shook from the red Titanus that must still be after them. Judging from the strength and noisiness of the tremble, it must be progressing at a rapid pace. Was it able to catch up to them? He didn’t want to consider that possibility right now.

Dimitri's wounded arm felt like it was on fire by the time they reached the corridor with the white rooms. He ignored the pain and pressed onwards anyway. She was so close now. They just needed to find her in one of these rooms and-

He could not find her. Dimitri ran through the hallway twice, checking each window thoroughly, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Nobody was here except for him and Dedue. Were Edelgard and the mages attending to her evacuated when the alarms went off? Or maybe she was in a different part of these labs? Perhaps in the prison cells for other children? The cells were in the opposite direction from the exit, but he would do whatever it took to free her.

As his mind spun with frantic thoughts, familiar footsteps echoed in the hallway. The clacking of high heel shoes always heralded the arrival of his most hated person in Fodlan. He whirled around and growled, hefting his electrified lance in his hands.

"My my, that's no way to greet your benefactor." Bias drawled. She sounded arrogant as usual, but there was a hint of seething malice under her cool facade. Even though she found the pair of escapees, she was probably pissed off from the oozing cuts and raw, burnt patches on her skin.

"You are no benefactor of mine." Dimitri snarled. "Tell me, where is Edelgard? Where is my stepmother?!"

"Oh dear." Bias said in a half sympathetic and half mocking way. "Let me guess, you thought that they were still around?"

"Don't toy with me! Answer me!" Despite his fury, his voice faltered just a tad. There were hidden implications in her taunts, ones that he didn't want to hear. 

Bias sensed his weakness and continued on, undaunted. "The imperial princess isn't here. She belongs to another co-worker of mine."

"Lies! I saw her here!"

"You saw her in Thales’s laboratory. Once you have proved yourself too troublesome to keep, he gifted you to me and had you transported while you were unconscious." 

A sinister smirk twisted Bias's lips. Dimitri wanted to wipe that smile off of her face, but he remained where he was, pondering over her confession instead. He refused to believe that El was elsewhere, out of his reach, but there was, at the very least, a possibility that she wasn't lying. He hadn't spotted her since before he was placed under Bias's care. He wanted so desperately to continue his search for El, but he had to resign himself to this somber truth. If he held onto the hope of rescuing her, then he might instead condemn himself and Dedue to reimprisonment and further torment.

"And my stepmother?" He asked with a shaking voice.

"Oh, now there is a sad story." Bias's sneer grew larger. "Poor Patricia couldn't stand watching both of her children being experimented on. Especially when, by sacrificing the king of Faerghus and his knights, she ended up giving you to us."

She paused for dramatic effect. Dimitri's heart pounded in his chest as he anticipated the dreadful news that awaited him.

"So she committed suicide. Hung herself in in Thales's dungeons, without either of her husbands or her kids to be with her during her last moments. It was a very hush-hush affair. No one knows what happened to Patricia besides us. And now you, I guess."

Dimitri's vision went red. He could only see this monster standing in front of him, the cause of all his sorrows. A beastial roar escaped his throat as he lunged at her.

"I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

Bias sidestepped around his lance with ease and laughed in his face. "I never would have imagined that the young, soft-hearted prince possessed this kind of a temper. If only I could harness it… We can do great things together, you know."

"I'll never bow to you! No more! You die! NOW!" 

Dimitri jabbed and swung his lance at her for as long as his arms would allow it. She dodged all of his attacks with a smug grin on his face. In the distance, he heard someone shouting at him, but he refused to let up. He needed to kill her, for the sake of his stepmother, his father, El, Glenn, Sara, everyone who suffered or died from her machinations. He wouldn't be able to rest until she was wiped off the face of Fodlan.

His wounded arm caused his lance to stab at air at an awkward angle. Bias sighed and waved her hands. A familiar spell immobilized his limbs and caused him to fall to the ground. "Well you two won't be under me anymore anyway. That Thales is going to leech off  _ my _ hard work and take over this project. As much as I'd hate to give him the satisfaction, I-"

She was cut off by loud yelling and wild stomping. Dedue charged at her while holding up his massive shield, which completely covered his body. Bias temporarily released her spell on Dimitri to fire off shadowy missiles at it. They, along with other dark magic attacks, merely dissipated when they struck the highly resistant surface. Bias was forced to duck around a corner to avoid getting slammed. She held up both of her hands and muttered an incantation that turned the ground beneath Dedue purple. Shadowy tendrils rose up and threatened to ensnare him, but he managed to swing his axe at her just in time. The edge of his weapon managed to score a gash across her torso, something that she obviously did not expect.

"How dare you?!" She shrieked as she clutched her wound. 

Dedue parked his shield between her and his collapsed friend. Before he could say anything, Dimitri pulled himself back up with the help of his lance. He will have his revenge. He wasn’t going to let anything get in his way. Not his wounds, not Bias’s magic, not even Dedue’s shield. 

The grief-stricken prince released a feral scream and charged back into the fray. He swung his lance like a madman, its flurry of sparks blurring together into arcs of lightning. And beside him was Dedue, who fought like an armored knight with his giant shield and axe. However, Dimitri was only vaguely cognizant of his presence. His singular focus was fixated on the dark mage in front of him, who was forced on the defensive because of his relentless assault and her own injuries. Bias tried to mitigate lance strikes and axe swings with magic, but those attacks connected upon occasion. She let out a cry of pain every time she was hit. Such yelps would have given the normally kind-hearted Dimitri pause, but they instead made his smile grow bigger. Dimitri was so close to avenging everyone. He could practically taste her blood on his lips, the only thing that could satiate his thirst right now.

The pain in his arm caused him to miss again. Bias swerved away, putting some distance between her and the boys bent on revenge. Her hands were enveloped in shadowy, purple magic that spread to the floor around her feet. Dedue held out his shield to protect against anymore tricks, but with that hunk of metal in his way, he couldn't close the gap. Not without leaving himself wide open to that nasty tendril spell she casted earlier. On the plus side, it seemed like Bias couldn’t escape through the door when she needed both hands for casting.

So they were at a standstill. Bias took the moment of respite to make an offer. “I… don’t suppose I could ask you to reconsider your stance?” 

“Shut up and die.” Dimitri snapped. 

“Not even when I can tell you where your precious stepsister is?” 

For a brief moment, his mind cleared up. He blinked away his rage to stare at Bias and her curious offer. Then the sheer disgust that Bias’s very image conjured built up inside him and overwhelmed him, flooding his mind with red once more.

“Shut up.”

“Or how about proof that the people of Duscur were innocent in the Tragedy? Do you really think you can convince everyone else with just words?”

“SHUT UP!” 

“Dimitri!” 

Dedue’s concern caused Dimitri to whirl around. Although he meant to direct his anger at Bias, his face, contorted with fury, must have been a frightful sight to behold. A look of fear graced Dedue’s features, a look that made him reign back his bloodlust for a few seconds.

“Dedue. I didn’t mean-”

“Forget it. We must leave.” That fearful expression faded away as he shook his head.

“What are you saying?” Dimitri asked. While he spoke, a low rumble from below shook the ground beneath their feet. He suddenly was aware of what Dedue was trying to warn him about. But he also simply couldn’t let Bias go. He swung his lance as he spun around, startling the dark mage as she attempted to escape through the door.

“Now, Dimitri.” Dedue placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No. Not until she has paid for what she did!” Dimitri brushed his hand away and lunged at Bias. As soon as Dedue’s hand left him, a resounding crash of broken steel erupted all around them. The resulting cloud of dust made him lose sight of Bias, but he could vaguely see scarlet veins of light outlining a bulking, humanoid shadow through the smoke. Then his eyes darted upwards towards a creaking sound, the only warning of a piece of debris that was about to fall down on him. Fortunately for Dimitri, Dedue rushed in at the last second and protected both of them with his shield. The chunk of stone collided against their cover with a thunderous thud that rattled them to their very core.

Dedue let out a pained grunt. Dimitri immediately became worried that the rubble had hurt him through his shield. “Dedue! Are you hurt?”

“No.” The other boy quickly wiped away his grimace. “But I should be asking you that.”

“I’m also fine. But…”

The two boys stood up so they could take in their situation better. The red Titanus has pursued them all the way here, and busted down a wall and part of the ceiling in order to reach them. A large pile of wreckage blocked the door where he last saw Bias. Did she get crushed? He couldn’t tell for certain, since the Titanus was in the way, but he doubted that she would be so easily defeated by a coincidence. And as for himself…

“Dedue, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you earlier.” Dimitri confessed. He would have died if it weren’t for his friend’s shield, all for the sake of vengeance.

Dedue let out a sound of acknowledgement before turning his gaze towards their giant foe. They had to defeat it here and now, or else they would never be able to escape intact. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. It was clear that their previous strategies wouldn’t work as well in a tight space filled with debris. They had no room to run around and distract it, not without getting dangerously close to its sword.

The Titanus didn’t give them anymore time to think. Energy rapidly accumulated its blade before being unleashed in the form of a fiery slice of wind that took up most of the hallway. Dimitri and Dedue were forced to cower behind their shield, but by taking the full impact of the attack, the shield buckled and warped into a heated slab of useless metal. Dedue scowled as he ripped it off his arm and activated his Crest in order to throw it at the Titanus. It soared a considerable distance and was actually able to connect with its head. The projectile sadly just bounced off, doing little to deter its slow and steady march towards them.

An odd expression crossed Dedue’s face. “Dimitri. I have an idea. But you will not like it.”

“Well you didn’t like my earlier idea back in the arena, so we’re even. Let’s hear it.”

“I will toss you up there.” Dedue gestured towards the Titanus’s head. “You will spear it.”

“That isn’t so bad.” Dimitri admitted. “Dangerous, but what isn’t dangerous around here?”

Dedue gave him a funny look. He supposed that this was not the right time for jokes, or any sort of doubt. As the Titanus geared up for another strike, Dedue grabbed Dimitri around the waist, lifted him up with one hand and the Crest of Blaiddyd, and threw him like one might through a ball. Dimitri couldn’t help but scream, and didn’t stop screaming until he fell onto the Titanus’s shoulders. 

The great behemoth twitched, but otherwise did not react. It didn’t have enough room to swat Dimitri away with its sword. The brief repose allowed him to recover from his landing and take a few steps towards its head. Once it was in front of him, he called forth his Crest and stabbed it with all his might. He was mindful to not lodge it inside completely like last time, but there was no need for such caution. When the Titanus powered down, the ruined hallway was eerily peaceful. The only sounds were Dimitri’s panting and alarming sirens in a distant corridor.

Dimitri wondered for a moment about how he was going to get off the Titanus. He ended up jumping off of its shoulders and getting caught in Dedue’s hands. The two of them took a moment to catch their breaths and to wonder about what to do next. 

Every instinct told Dimitri to move on and get out of here, but he wanted to stay behind and survey what was left. If Bias wasn’t killed in the first explosion, she surely didn’t die from the second…

A groan not from either of them drew him to the rubble near the door. Bias was buried entirely underneath large chunks of stone, save for her head which jutted out of a small gap between boulders. Apparently this time, she had no way of getting out. Her red eyes shone with panic when she spotted the two of them approaching.

“My offer still stands, you know.” She hissed. Dimitri never heard her so scared before. It felt nice to be lording over her for a change.

He lifted his lance, readying himself for the kill. Before he could bring it down on her head, Bias kept on talking. "I don't blame you for wanting to kill me. But think about what you really want. If I die, you’ll never know where your stepsister is, and you’ll never be able to save Duscur."

Dimitri flinched. He narrowed his eyes as his lance hovered over Bias. "Why should I trust you, after everything you have done?"

"You’re right. You have no reason to trust me. But do you think that you’ll be able to live with yourself if you eliminate their only hope for the sake of revenge?"

“You and whatever lies you’re offering are not our only hope.” Dimitri growled. "I know that the people of Duscur are innocent, and that you're to blame for all of this. When I get out of here, I'll tell them the entire truth."

And as for El… Dimitri tightened his grip on his lance. He would do whatever he could to find her. If it meant slaughtering people like Bias and leaving a trail of corpses in his wake, then so be it. El deserved her freedom, and these dark mages deserved nothing but a painful death.

Bias laughed a raucous laugh that was as shrill as the sirens around them. "Do you really think that the people are going to believe in an organization of mysterious dark mages, led by a woman no one's ever heard of? Or worse, that your stepmother is partially at fault?"

Her rhetorical questions were like honeyed venom. He didn't want to listen to any of it, but she had a point. He would have to mention Patricia's involvement when he revealed everything he knew. Since most people only knew her as the Adrestian Emperor's former wife, the truth would definitely sour people's feelings towards the Empire. Not to mention that Dimitri would hate having the memory of his stepmother tarnished in such a way.

Bias smirked when she saw the effect her words had on him. "I'm not saying that you need to help me. I'm sure I can get out of this mess by myself. I just need you to walk away. You’ll find everything you need in my office."

Dimitri hated himself for hanging onto her every word. "Where's your office?"

“Hm, I’d rather not say until I know that you’ll spare me.”

Dimitri was about to spear her just for that snide remark, but to his surprise, Dedue took a step forward. 

"Why are you helping us?" Now it was Dedue's turn to take the bait. His face was expressionless, but the tone of his voice betrayed a degree of trepidation.

"Ah, so the beast from Duscur does understand me." Bias scoffed. "Anyway, I'd rather see you two free than under Thales's thumb. That moron went through at least nine perfectly viable test subjects already, and almost killed a tenth. I'm not letting him ruin my greatest project."

Anger flared in Dimitri's heart. He knew of the tenth subject that Bias spoke of, and it almost made him reconsider their deal. Before he could follow through on his impulses, a number of fists banged on the door that was blocked by rubble, followed by frantic shouts. The sound of approaching reinforcements made Bias’s smile bigger and Dimitri’s heart pound faster.

“Well, boys? What will it be? The truth, or revenge? You better make your decision quickly.”

That was the problem. Dimitri couldn’t decide anymore. Bias seemed genuine at this moment, as all cornered animals were, and what she proposed struck a chord within him. He wanted her dead so badly that his desire for revenge, along with his goal of saving El and his stepmother, kept him going all the time. Yet if he killed her now, her spilled blood would be just that. Blood, that pooled in a dark place far away from the rest of the world. And his other dreams would be further from reach…

He glanced at Dedue. The stoic boy displayed no inclination on his face, yet after a moment's pause, he held out his hand. Dimitri took it and pulled himself away from Bias. As the two of them showed their backs to her, Bias laughed again.

“Just as a way of showing thanks, I’ll give you a hint. If you take the closest stairs up a floor, my office will be nearby. And if you’re still lost, I’m sure you’ll find the way soon enough.”

Dimitri glared back at her, just as dark shadowy flames leaked through a crack in the door. There was no time to take back his decision. He turned his gaze back to the path ahead and ran.

They took the flight of stairs up, like Bias suggested, and ended up wandering through several hallways which were surprisingly empty. Maybe all the other dark mages were looking for them elsewhere, or the commotion from the Titanus scared everyone else away. Dimitri didn’t mind the small break between battles, but as their footsteps echoed in synch with the alarms, he couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. The longer they lingered down here, without any sense of direction, the more likely they were to be captured. He was starting to have doubts about listening to Bias in the first place, but if he succumbed to those doubts, then his choice would have been for nothing. He had to keep going.

Several additional sets of footsteps alerted Dimitri and Dedue to incoming people. They ducked around a corner just in time for a pair of oblivious dark mages to pass them by. He caught snippets of their conversation as they hurried onwards.

“... take the long way around?”

“Lady Bias said that the escaped prisoners were making their way to her office. If we can get there first, we can lay an ambush.”

“And you’re sure that this is…”

Dimitri watched them vanish as they entered a set of doors. He silently motioned Dedue to follow him as he trailed after the mages. They were so focused on getting to their goal, they failed to notice the two boys tracking them through the corridor. The dark mages stopped at a door with a plaque engraved in strange characters. One of the men held up a hand glowing with magic to open it up. Not wanting to miss their chance, Dimitri and Dedue ran inside before the door closed, not caring if the mages noticed them at this point.

“Hey, what are-” The mage’s exclamation was cut off by a lance jab to the heart. The second mage was silenced by a strong swing from Dedue’s axe. Once those two crumpled to the floor, Dimitri let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and took a look around the room they wound up in.

Bias's office was surprisingly small and simple. There was little in the way of furnishings. Just a desk, a bookshelf, and another shelf with strange contraptions. Dimitri wanted to look around and maybe find more useful information, but time was of the essence. He couldn't tarry longer than he needed to and risk getting caught by the other mages. 

However, a glimmer of blue caught his eyes. Dimitri wandered over to a shelf and spotted a golden ring with a brilliant blue crystal wrapped around a scroll. As he stared at it, he became lost in memories of the hand that once wore it. The hand that read bedtime stories to him, the hand that guided his own during writing practice, the hand that brushed against his face while they were riding a carriage...

Dimitri picked up the ring and the scroll with no regards to any traps or other hidden spells. Luckily, nothing happened. He held the paper and the ring close to his chest. For this ring to be here, instead of on his stepmother’s hand, meant that she really was gone. Bias was telling the truth. So what was this paper? Was this was she was offering them earlier, in exchange for her life? He had an inkling on what was written in it, but he didn’t dare open it now. Not when there was no time to read it, and not when his heart possibly couldn’t take it.

“Dimitri.” Dedue called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. He had uncovered a teleportation pad like the one Dimitri saw, a lifetime ago. They gave it a wary stare for a moment or two, as if something was going to materialize on it and attack them. When nothing of that sort happened, Dimitri sighed and stepped forward.

"This could be a trap." Dedue warned.

"It might be." Dimitri replied. "But this is the only way we can leave."

He tucked the scroll into his clothes and held onto Dedue's hands. "Besides, there's nothing that can stop us if we're together."

"Yes." Dedue agreed. "Then let us go."

Without another moment of hesitation, the two boys stepped onto the glowing tile and vanished into thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well you guys can probably tell what part of the chapter I had a tough time editing. :P If you think that Bias's deal and the scroll are a bit convenient, maybe you're right. However, as an FYI, the consequences of their decision won't be seen for a while.


	14. Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri gets some time to read what Bias had left for him.

Dimitri and Dedue reappeared in a dark, dingy room that was unlike any cell they have been imprisoned in for the last few months. It was filled with dust and old, wooden furniture that blocked the path to the door. The two of them made their way through the maze carefully, as to not break anything. But they ended up having to break the door handle once they reached it, as it was locked.

Dimitri swung the door open and was greeted by an elaborate sight. The room they wound up in was merely storage space for a noble's mansion. Now he could feast his eyes on the ornate, scarlet rugs that covered the floor, the wide hallways, the imposing doors with decorative handles, and the expensive looking chandelier that hung from the ceiling. It was a far cry from the cold and bare dungeons that they came from, and honestly a bit overwhelming. Dimitri and Dedue stood there in stunned silence, only snapping out of their trance when a servant spotted the two strange boys in filthy prisoners' garbs and with unusual weapons strapped to their backs.

"Hey! Where did you two come from?" He shouted. His rosy pink cheeks were a sight for sore eyes, after looking at masked men and pale faces for so long. But Dimitri couldn't let the sight of a normal person get the best of him. Dedue grabbed his hand and pulled him away. The servant pursued them, yelling for help from other people unseen.

The boys entered a random room and shut the door behind them with a heavy slam. Dedue propped large furniture against the door so no one could come in while Dimitri took in their surroundings. It looked like they were in a servant's bedroom of some sort.

"I should have said something to him." Dimitri muttered. "If he knew who I was, he might have helped us."

"No." Dedue shook his head. "Bias's office led here, so this house must belong to her too. We can't trust anyone here."

Loud rapping on the door jolted Dimitri out of his thoughts. He glanced out the window and was shocked to see snow on the ground. The last time he was outside, it was at the peak of summer. Trees still had their hearty green leaves and the air was still warm from the sun's vigorous rays. Now it was undoubtedly cold and icy. How were they going to survive in their ratty clothes?

Dimitri hurriedly checked the closet and pulled out some shirts, trousers, cloaks, and boots. They were far too big for the boys but they had little choice in the matter. Once the two of them outfitted themselves in whatever worked, Dedue broke the window with a thrown chair and they jumped out of the hole they created.

The escapees ran for their lives. Their ruckus did not go unnoticed, as guards started streaming to their location. But they sprinted as fast as they could and didn't stop for anything. They managed to lose their pursuers by reaching the woods behind the manor.

Dimitri collapsed in the snow once they were safe. He couldn't keep going anymore. He already fought two giant, metal men and countless dark mages, and raced through an entire laboratory and mansion. His injured arm, which was previously numbed by adrenaline, flared with pain and did not abate with rest. He had to stop, or else drop dead.

"Dimitri?" Dedue looked like he was still raring to go, however. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He panted out. "I just gotta… catch my breath."

"We cannot rest here." Dedue glared towards the compound they just ran from. "We are still too close to Bias."

"Where are we even running to?" Dimitri lamented. "We have no idea of where we are. We're just going to exhaust ourselves like this."

"Still. We must run." Dedue turned his gaze back towards Dimitri. "If you can't run, I will carry you."

"What?" Dimitri didn't have the energy to protest as Dedue picked him up and settled him on his back. He also didn't have the energy to push himself off and walk on his own two legs. So he clung to Dedue, piggyback style and mindful of the axe that was also on his back.

They wandered like this until they came across a road. With a road came travellers, so they were certain to find someone that could help them, or at least give them a sense of direction. Dimitri got off of Dedue's back and kept an eye out for any sign of life. They ended up waiting a long while, both of them growing more anxious as time passed without any sign of life. Their patience was eventually awarded when Dimitri spotted a horse drawn wagon heading towards them.

Dimitri ran towards the wagon, yelling at the top of his lungs and waving his arms frantically. Dedue trailed behind him silently but no less excitedly. When they approached, the man guiding the wagon gave Dimitri a puzzled look before angrily regarding Dedue.

"Whaddya doing, travelling with such filth?" He spat out.

"Dedue is not filth! He is a friend!" Dimitri retorted. That harsh remark almost made him reconsider asking for his help. But he needed him. Or, to be more specific, he needed his transportation.

"No man of Faerghus can be friends with someone from Duscur. Not after what they done to our king."

"Look, just forget about that for a second. Can you tell me where we are?"

The man narrowed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what this unusual child was asking. Thankfully, he responded with a real answer.

"We're in Fraldarius territory. This road leads to the Fraldarius manor."

"Really?" Dimitri couldn't help but glance behind him. He had visited House Fraldarius many times before, so he knew that the manor they escaped from was not it.

"So who's manor is that?" He pointed a finger backwards.

"No idea. I didn't even know there was a manor around here." The man squinted as he stared in the direction of Dimitri's finger. "House Fraldarius is still a couple days away. Maybe more, if you keep yapping my ear off."

Dimitri's spirit was uplifted by the news, as rudely put as it was. House Fraldarius was led by Lord Rodrigue, a very close friend of his father. He was definitely an ally he could trust in these trying times. Although a part of him wondered how he ended up in the Kingdom of Faerghus, when Patricia and he were taken to the Adrestian Empire to see Edelgard.

That was a concern for another time. The man looked like he was going to move on without them.

"Wait." Dimitri interrupted. "Are you going to House Fraldarius?"

"I’m passin’ that way. What's it to you?"

"Please, take us with you. I'll pay you once we get there."

"With what money?" The man studied his stolen clothes and the electrified lance on his back. He must look like a servant right now. A really dirty and smelly servant that wouldn't ordinarily be able to pay for anything. No wonder this man distrusted him.

Dimitri held out his hand, and called upon the power that flowed through his veins. The Crest of Blaiddyd lit up over his palm, glowing much brighter than it did when it was merely a Minor Crest. Luckily, this man didn't notice a difference as he gaped at the sign of the royal family.

"I hope this should suffice." Dimitri said with a faint smile.

* * *

The man's name was Ronald Sherwood, and he was a merchant of various odds and ends. It quickly became apparent that he was not well off, judging from his mediocre wares and lack of a bodyguard. Still, he was extraordinarily eager to accommodate the lost prince of Faerghus. Once Ronald found out that Dimitri had an injured arm, he gave him some ointment and bandages. They soothed most of his pain away, but it would still be a while before it healed completely.

The two boys sat in the wagon, covering their entire bodies except their heads in blankets, while Ronald rode on. Dimitri used this moment of peace to catch up on what has happened in the outside world, while Dedue remained quiet. The merchant tolerated the Duscur boy’s presence because Dimitri threatened to walk away if he didn’t, but that didn’t mean he was willing to even acknowledge him. Still, being ignored was better than having insults thrown his way.

“So what day is today?” Dimitri asked.

“Tis the 4th day of the Guardian Moon.” Ronald replied back.

“It’s the Guardian Moon already?” Dimitri blinked. His and Dedue’s estimates of time during their stay in the laboratories were way off. He thought it was still the Ethereal Moon. A pang of disappointment shot through his heart as he realized he missed his 14th birthday. 

“It is, Your Highness.” It felt strange to hear his title used again. Dimitri wasn’t sure if he missed it or not.

“So it’s been about five months…” He muttered to himself. Questions formed readily on his tongue and he didn’t hesitate to ask them. “How has the kingdom fared? Are Houses Fraldarius, Gautier, and Galatea doing well?”

“The nobles are fine, Your Highness.” Ronald answered in a strange tone, like he wasn't sure about how to reply. “Fraldarius grieved for a long while cause they lost their eldest son, but they didn’t waste any time to start searching for you. Since your body wasn’t found, they assumed that you were taken by Duscur. Gautier, Galatea, Charon, and some minor houses joined the search, but they didn’t find anything.”

Dimitri flinched inwardly when the merchant talked of Glenn's death. Dedue had said that there were no survivors of the Tragedy, but he had hoped that maybe if he didn't directly mention one of his best friends, he was still alive. 

He buried his grief to allow Ronald to continue speaking. “As for the rest of the kingdom… Well, the king regent isn’t the greatest ruler. It only took him a couple months for the rebellions to start.”

“Rebellions?” Dimitri narrowed his eyes. “Why are people rebelling?”

“Cause he’s not doing enough to help with the harsh winter or bandits, he’s taxing the living daylights out of everyone, the Western Church has some weird ideas… There's loads of reasons. Your return will be the first bit of good news in awhile.”

Dimitri nodded in agreement, but he still was dismayed by what he heard. The king regent was probably his uncle, Rufus. As his father’s older brother didn’t have a Crest, he was expected only to govern a few choice provinces, not an entire Kingdom. He probably didn’t have a clue on what to do in his new role. So the ill will among the people would continue, even when Dimitri returned to Fhirdiad. He couldn’t take the throne for several more years, as tradition dictates.

He wished that he could do away with this tradition like he did away with the dark mages. His time in their laboratories made him feel much older than 18.

Dimitri fell silent as he contemplated this bit of news. His eyes fell upon Dedue while he did so. It looked like the other boy had a question of his own, but was too afraid to ask it and potentially earn Ronald’s ire. So it was up to Dimitri to ask it for him.

“What about Duscur?”

"What _about_ Duscur?" The merchant let out a scoff.

"Is the country ok?"

"Duscur is no more." Ronald didn't sound too perturbed when he said that. "The Kingdom soldiers went and burnt it to the ground. Heard the land was taken by some minor lord, Klein or something like that."

Dimitri froze in place. Dedue mentioned that his country was destroyed when he first explained the Tragedy to him, but to hear such a casual confirmation made his heart sink like a rock. Especially when he knew that the people of Duscur didn't cause his father's death.

"Why are ya so upset over it?" Ronald piped up. "Those savages killed your dad. Our king."

"Don't call them savages." Dimitri growled. "And they didn't kill my father. The people who captured us did."

"Say what now?" Ronald peeled his eyes off the road to shoot him a quizzical look.

"I know what I saw. The assassins that night weren't of Duscur. And later, while I was imprisoned, they admitted to their crimes in front of me."

Ronald let out a low whistle. "Well. Not saying I don't believe you, your Highness. But do you have any proof of that?"

"I will." Dimitri stated simply. He had proof that these people existed, in his Major Crest and the strange weapons they carried, but to convict them of their involvement would be another matter entirely...

Dimitri spared a glance towards Dedue to see how he took the conversation. He actually looked visibly upset, either at the state of his homeland or at the insult hurled his way, or both. However, he did a much better job of reigning in his emotions. Dimitri thought that Dedue ought to say something. If he let these kinds of remarks slide, they would only fester into something worse.

"If anyone can save what's left of Duscur, it's you, your Highness." Ronald's voice interrupted his thoughts. "But I'm just gonna warn ya, there's not much left to save."

"That is why we must get to House Fraldarius quickly." Dimitri said. "I cannot let more innocents suffer while the real culprits are left unpunished."

Despite his proclamation, they couldn’t cover much more distance before stopping. Ronald found Dimitri and Dedue late in the afternoon, and his horse-drawn wagon did not move very quickly at all. They ended up spending the night in an abandoned shack of some sort as they were still too far away from any settlements. Ronald started a fire in the fireplace to make dinner while the two boys huddled in one bed. They didn't reveal much of their time in the laboratories to this man, mostly because they didn't know whether they could trust him with such a sensitive story. Dimitri didn't really want to talk about it anyway. He was finally free from that dreadful place. He wanted to enjoy the warmth of a crackling fire and the fresh air unmarred by the lingering threat of experimentation. 

But there was still one loose end from the laboratories that he needed to tie up. Dimitri pulled out the letter from his stepmother, tucked her ring into his pocket, and unrolled it. The familiar, elegant handwriting was easy to read by the fireplace.

_Dear Dimitri,_

_I am so sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I know there aren't any words to make up for what I have done, but they are all that I have._

_I am sorry for conspiring with those who slither in the dark._

_I am sorry for causing the attack on our caravan in Duscur, which led to the death of your father._

_I am sorry for bringing you into the hands of the dark mages._

_All I can do now is repent. On my final night on this earth, in my prison in Arundel, I am writing this letter in hopes that it will reach you someday. I asked my captor to bring it to you, as a dying woman's last wish, but I don't know when or even if he will uphold his promise._

_As part of my repentance, I ask this of you, Dimitri. You know of a music box that I loved, in my room in Castle Fhirdiad. If you play the lullaby that I used to sing to you on it, you will find everything that you need to implicate those that conspired in the attack at Duscur. I know that it will not be enough to quell your sorrows, but I hope that it will at least provide some sort of closure._

_These are my last words to you, my dearest son. Although we may not be related by blood, I have always regarded you like my own child. I did not start the fires of Duscur because I did not love you. They started because of my own selfishness, a moment of weakness. I wanted all of us to be a family, together. I was willing to do anything to make that dream a reality. But I was a foolish woman, thinking that there was a way to reunite with my daughter without bloodshed. If I had known what they had done to El, and what they were going to do to you, I would have never agreed to any of this._

_If this letter reaches you, I want you to know that I love you. I never stopped loving you, and I never will stop. I will offer up my body to the goddess in hopes that she will accept my sacrifice and free you from your prison. So please, grow into a strong and kind man that your father and I would be proud of. Don't let lingering regrets take hold of you like they did to me. If you can thrive despite all that I've put you through, then I know I can rest in peace._

_I love you,_

_Patricia_

_P.S. If you ever see El again, please tell her that I love her too, and I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for her._

~~_P.P.S. Beware of the ■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■ in ■■■■ ■■■■■'■ ■■■■■. ■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ appears to be._ ~~

Dimitri's hands shook throughout the entire message from his stepmother. The last few paragraphs were scrawled out messily, as if she didn't know what else to write about and jotted down whatever came to mind. But the last note was struck through and blotted out with copious amounts of ink, something that she surely wouldn't have done. Bias must have scribbled out the warning, to hide her identity in the royal court.

The letter was also stained with teardrop splatter marks and wrinkles. Dimitri ended up crying over her final words as well. He rolled it up and slipped the ring back on before he ruined it any further.

"Dimitri?" Dedue approached him with a bowl of stew in each hand. He handed one over, which Dimitri graciously accepted. "Are you crying?" 

Dimitri wordlessly sipped his dinner for a long moment. The warm and thick broth did wonders for his heart by melting his sorrows away. But he still could not bring himself to speak. He just gestured at the letter next to him.

Dedue gave it a look, then nodded. "I am sorry about your stepmother."

"Thank you." Dimitri mumbled weakly. He did not know how to feel over her death and her last words, and trying to sort out his feelings left him emotionally drained. 

This was a letter from the one who led him to the dark mages and his torturous ordeals, but he couldn't bring himself to hate her. She was his stepmother. His mother, really, as she had raised him like her own son for most of his life. He only held love for her in his heart, even when painful experiments sought to sow doubts. The most prominent one being, if she was willing to give up everything in Fhirdiad to be with Edelgard, did she really love Dimitri and his father? The letter that she wrote on her final night alive, although somber, gave him the answer he wanted. While he read it, it was like Patricia was right here, assuaging his worst fears with her comforting words that only a mother could give. 

"Mother…" Dimitri stared down bleakly at the soup bowl. She was gone, but her love was not. He will take her last wishes to heart and live on for her. Not only that, he will bring justice to her killers with whatever her music box contained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to reiterate that Patricia in this story doesn't necessarily reflect canon Patricia because we don't really know much about her. An unsympathetic Patricia would be harder to write and harder for Dimitri to deal with so for purpose of this story, she's a nice mom who made (a lot of) mistakes.


	15. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meetings always begin with a greeting and end in a farewell, even unexpected ones.

The three people in the small hut went to sleep soon after dinner was finished. This was the first time in forever that Dimitri got to rest in a real bed, but peace did not come so easily. He still tossed and turned from nightmares he thought he outran. When he couldn't take it anymore, he bolted upright, waking up Dedue in the process.

"Mm?" His friend mumbled as he blinked his sleepiness away.

Dimitri opened his mouth to tell him that nothing was bothering him and he should go back to sleep. But there was something out there. Something that crunched the snow on the ground and shuffled their feet near the door. He peeked through the windows and spotting fleeting shadows in the briefest of moments.

Even though he didn't know who or what was outside, his gut never led him wrong. Dimitri grabbed his lance propped up against the wall, then snuck over to Ronald, who was still snoring away.

"Wake up." He gently shook him. "I think there's someone outside."

"Wha?" The merchant rolled over and blinked with bleary eyes.

"Listen." Dimitri nodded towards the door. He remained silent so that Ronald could also hear the footsteps from beyond the walls. The older man narrowed his eyes at the door first, then at the lance in Dimitri's hands.

"Who do you think it is?" He asked warily.

"No one good." Dimitri slipped into a fighting stance. "They might be the ones who captured us."

"There are many of them." Dedue announced after he checked through the window himself. "It will be hard to win this fight."

“We have to win. Or else…”

Dimitri didn’t want to think about it. He just brandished his spear and watched the door. Should they rush outside to meet them or wait for them to come in? Both ideas had many flaws and little merit. He glanced towards Dedue, who seemed also paralyzed about their situation. It was only when Ronald got out of bed that they finally decided on what to do.

"Your Highness." Roland spoke up with a wavering voice. “You and your friend should leave through the back. I’ll hold them off as best I can.”

He picked up his weapon of choice, an ordinary iron sword that had seen much use, judging from its many nicks and scratches. It wouldn't nearly be enough to fight off the dark mages alone, unless he was also somehow impervious to magic.

"What? No! We can't leave you behind!" Dimitri protested.

"You have to." Roland shook his head. "The Kingdom needs you."

"Ronald…" Dimitri muttered with a forlorn look on his face. They may have had a rocky start, but he didn't think this man as a bad person. It wounded him to hear him say such things without a second thought.

The door shuddered. Whether it was the wind or mages trying to break in, they didn't have much time left. "You have to go! Now! Take my horse too!" Ronald proclaimed.

"I won't forget this, Ronald." Dimitri bowed his head before rushing out the back door with Dedue.

Not long after they re-emerged into the cold, wintery air, crashes and shouts rang out behind them. Dimitri didn't dare to look back. Ronald's horse was tied up to the wagon, so he first had to untie it from its load so it would run faster while Dedue lit a nearby lantern. Once they were ready, he vaulted onto its back, then hesitated when Dedue didn't climb up with him immediately.

"What are you waiting for?"

"I don't know how to ride." Dedue replied with a frown.

"Well you have to learn now! Come on!"

Dimitri helped Dedue up and as soon as his friend seated himself behind him, he spurred the horse into a gallop. Their mount obviously wasn't used to having two people on its back, nor was it adept at running on uneven terrain in pitch black darkness. Dimitri did his best to steer it towards the road, but was slowed by its constant complaints and struggling against its reins.

An orb of shadowy flames rocketed past them. Apparently the mages had caught onto the fact that the two escapees weren't in the shack anymore. Dimitri had to focus on the treacherous ride, leaving Dedue to worry about the mages.

"They are catching up." He told Dimitri as electricity cackled behind him. It sounded like Dedue swung his bolt axe at another dark magic spell thrown at them. It didn't dispel it, but it did somehow knock it off course. The purple sphere careened into a tree, exploding it into a shower of splinters.

The horse screeched and reared up. Dedue, with his hands occupied by his axe, fell off the animal's back and landed in the snow. Dimitri managed to hang on but swore under his breath. The horse was too slow and finicky to be of any use to them. They needed another plan, and fast.

"What are you doing?" Dedue asked as Dimitri dismounted.

"We'll hide in the trees, where they can't see us. The horse can go on ahead as bait."

"Will that work?"

"It has to." Dimitri made sure the lantern was fastened tight to the side of its saddle before slapping its flank. The horse, no longer burdened by two riders, took off in an instant. Dimitri and Dedue retreated further into the grove and watched as a band of dark mages run by, unaware of the ruse they were falling for.

"We have to keep going." Dedue repeated his sentiments from earlier in the day. This time, Dimitri wasn't feeling any sort of fatigue. The chilly air and the fear of almost getting caught by the dark mages kept him on his feet. But a stray thought caused him to glance backwards into the darkness. He couldn’t see the house they just departed from, but if Ronald wasn’t clambering through the snow to catch up with them, then he had to assume the worst.

“Dimitri?” Dedue’s voice shook that somber thought out of his head. 

“I’m right behind you.” Dimitri said as he followed his friend deeper into the dark forest. They walked for as long as they could until Dimitri almost tripped on a root and smashed his head open. Realizing that it was too dangerous to wander around at night, they decided to huddle under a ledge of dirt and wait for the sun to rise. 

The two boys took turns sleeping and keeping watch. There was a moment when torchlight flickered on the ledge above them and foul voices whispered amongst themselves. Dimitri and Dedue held their breaths, waiting to see if they needed to fight or flee. They ended up having to do neither, as their pursuers moved on without ever spotting them. 

It felt like it took forever for dawn to arrive. Dimitri was even more tired and ached even more than when he was in Bias's prison, but he didn't let his battered body stop his feet from marching. It was only when they realized that they had lost sight of the road that they stopped to figure things out.

"I'm sorry." Dedue looked exasperated at their current predicament. "I should have kept track better."

"It's not your fault." Dimitri sat down on the ground to rest his sore legs. "If anything, I'm the one to blame. If we hadn't lost the horse, we would be on the road to House Fraldarius by now."

"If we kept the horse, the mages would have caught us." Dedue pointed out.

"True." Dimitri nodded. He was about to say more, but was interrupted by his growling stomach. If there was anything to be grateful for in Bias's dungeon, it was the regular meals. The soup they had last night was not enough to make up for the running around and fighting they did all day yesterday. Neither of them grabbed any food before they left in a panic, nor were proficient in hunting or foraging.

They did not make it all the way here to starve to death. Dimitri stood back up and glanced around. With it being winter, there were hardly any plants nor animals around. But when he stayed still and quiet, he heard the faint trickling of water not far from here.

"There's a creek nearby." He exclaimed. "Dedue, you're good at fishing, right? Maybe we can find something there."

"Maybe." Was all that Dedue said as he followed Dimitri. He could tell that Dedue didn't like their chances of catching fish right now, as they didn't have anything to fish with, but they had to give it a try.

Dimitri was right. They did find something at the creek. However, instead of fish, they found a teenage girl standing at the riverbank, fishing rod in hand. She was wearing all black, making her dark teal hair and blue-purple eyes stand out even more. In Dimitri's humble opinion, she was the most beautiful woman he ever saw, although it may be because she was the key to getting them out of this mess.

He wanted to approach her and make the same offer he did to Ronald, but the merchant's untimely demise stopped him in his tracks. Dimitri couldn't bear having more innocent people die for him. If he revealed himself to her, would she also lay down her life to save him from an inevitable encounter with the dark mages? He didn't want to subject her to the same, cruel fate.

"Will you not talk to her?" Dedue asked in a hushed whisper.

Dimitri shook his head. He noticed the same level of wariness in Dedue's voice. He might have a similar reason for hesitation as Dimitri, with the additional bonus of being from Duscur. Ronald eventually got over his prejudice, but who's to say that this woman will do the same?

"Then are we stealing her food?" 

"No!" He said a little too loudly. "She hasn't even caught anything yet. Look, her basket is empty."

As if to prove him wrong, the girl yanked a rather large fish out of the water soon after he said that. The hooked fish managed to break free of the line and threatened to flop back into the river. The girl's face remained emotionless as she pulled a sword out of a previously hidden sheath. In one swift motion, she put her prey out of its misery, then tossed its limp body into the basket. 

"Who uses a sword to kill a fish?" Dimitri wondered out loud. That act gave him second thoughts about approaching her.

"She has a sword." In contrast, Dedue didn't seem puzzled by her at all.

"Yeah?" Dimitri glanced at him.

"So she is not weak."

"Ronald had a sword. That didn't save him."

"She has a nice sword."

"How can you tell from here? And besides, one girl isn't going to make a difference-"

"Who are you?"

The sudden feminine voice made Dimitri jump away from the tree he was hiding behind. Dedue reacted by pulling out his axe and pointing it at the girl that materialized out of thin air. In return, she unsheathed her own sword and aimed it at him.

"Hold! We are not your enemy!" Dimitri held up his hands. "I apologize for watching you without making ourselves known, but we had good reason to!"

The girl stared at Dimitri with a blank expression. It was remarkable how calm she was when she was being threatened with an axe.

"Who are you?" She repeated.

"My name is Dimitri." He opted not to use his full name for now. "And this is Dedue."

"Byleth." She responded with her own name.

"Nice to meet you." Dimitri remarked. "Can we put away our weapons now? I would like to ask a favor of you, if you don't mind."

Byleth and Dedue withdrew their weapons, but the former did not ease up her fighting stance. She had all the reason to distrust two boys that were skulking about in the woods, but it still wounded Dimitri to see that icy expression on her face.

"You see, we're… kinda lost. And hungry." 'Kinda' was putting it lightly, but he didn't want to sound too desperate. "Would you be able to give us some food and directions to the road to House Fraldarius?"

"I don't know of the House Fraldarius you speak of." Byleth said in a monotone voice. "And I have no spare food to give you."

Dimitri blinked. Was she lost too? That couldn't be right. She looked clean, well-fed, and had a fishing rod.

"But," she continued, "you can ask my father those questions."

"Your father?" Dimitri asked. His question fell upon deaf ears as she turned away, presumably to guide them to the man she spoke of.

Dimitri and Dedue had no choice but to follow her. She didn't give off any malicious vibes, so they were inclined to trust her for now. But Dimitri couldn't help but wonder if her father was lost too. Or maybe he was on a camping trip with his daughter. He could have certainly picked better places to camp in, as Fraldarius territory was neither exciting nor welcoming during the winter.

She ended up leading them to a bustling mercenary camp that was getting ready for the day ahead. A few puzzled stares were thrown their way, but they mostly abated when they laid eyes on Byleth. Now Dimitri was wondering why a girl like her was traveling with these men and women. Was she a mercenary like them? That would explain the sword, but she was so young. She looked to be only a few years older than Dimitri.

"Father." Byleth walked up to a man in an orange shirt with grizzled, brown hair and a beard. "These boys want food and directions to House Fraldarius. Where did you get that horse?”

The man was tending to a horse with a lantern attached to its saddle when she approached. Dimitri realized that it was Ronald's horse, who somehow evaded the dark mages and wound up here, like them. While his attention was on the horse, the man studied the two strays that his daughter brought home. His stare was unnerving, but at least there was a hint of emotion in them, unlike Byleth's.

He broke his stare with a heavy sigh. "I found the horse wandering near here without its rider. But Byleth, what did I say about bringing random strangers into our camp?"

"Sorry." She did not sound apologetic at all.

"And what does a pair of orphans want with House Fraldarius? You should know, they don't take kindly to beggars."

"We're not-" Dimitri was about to say that they weren't orphans, but that was technically true for both of them. The bitter realization gave time for Byleth's father to talk some more.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Dimitri." He said at the same time that the other boy replied, "Dedue."

"Dimitri…?" The man sounded like he was on the verge of recognizing his name, but shook that thought out of his head. "Ok. Look guys, I'll bring you to the main road and give you some food, but you should reconsider whatever plan you two have. Maybe go find a church instead. They take in orphans all the time."

"Our plan is fine." Dedue piped up.

"Is it? What did you want to do there?"

"I need to speak to Rodrigue." Dimitri blurted out. 

"You know Duke Fraldarius’s name?" The man raised an eyebrow. The longer he stared at Dimitri, the more his eyebrow lifted. He had a feeling that the older mercenary was slowly figuring out Dimitri's identity. All while Dimitri was hatching another scheme.

“Wait a minute. You wouldn’t happen to be…”

"I am." He replied with confidence. "My full name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, and I am the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. My friend and I have been imprisoned by strange mages since the Tragedy of Duscur. We freed ourselves, but these men are still chasing us. I would like to hire you and the other mercenaries here to escort us to Lord Rodrigue Achilles Fraldarius's estate. If you accept, I can pay you handsomely once we reach there."

The man's stare was one of complete and utter surprise this time. Once he picked his jaw off the ground, he groaned loudly and turned to Byleth.

"Byleth. Where did you find these boys?"

"By the river."

He groaned again and refocused on Dimitri. "You got any proof of that claim, kid? I don't not believe you, but I just have to make-"

Without even letting him finish his sentence, Dimitri held out his hand to show off his Crest of Blaiddyd. Jeralt didn't react as dramatically as onlooking mercs that were curious about the new arrivals, but he still sighed loudly. Byleth, meanwhile, remained as stony faced as before. Dimitri had the suspicion that she didn't recognize his Crest.

"Ok, good enough." The man got up and muttered something about finding papers for the contract as he walked into his tent. He came back out seconds later with sheets of parchment, an inkwell, and a quill.

"Name's Jeralt Eisner. I'm the leader of these mercs. We don't really have a name, but I guess we're calling ourselves Jeralt's Mercenaries."

"Jeralt? As in the Blade Breaker?" Now it was Dimitri's turn to be startled by a reveal. What luck they had, to find an esteemed warrior in the middle of nowhere! It was the first bit of good news they had in a long while, he reckoned.

"That's me. Don't wear the name out." He sat back down and showed the papers to Dimitri. "These are papers for the contract you want. Since you're a prince coming back from the dead, I ought to have all the paperwork in order for when the nobles start sniffing around. So just sign here and here. Goddess, what a way to start the day…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter started an argument between my beta reader and me about what title Rodrigue goes by, lord or duke? We couldn't find the answer in a number of cutscenes nor in the wiki. It took until I S-ranked Felix and saw his epilogue card in my BL playthrough to figure it out. Apparently it's Duke Fraldarius, but Lord Rodrigue is also used.


	16. Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Dedue hang out with the mercenaries on the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a filler chapter but I don't know if I'll have the chance to write cute Dimitri/Dedue/Jeralt/Byleth stuff in the future so I wanted to fit it in now.

As Dimitri signed the contracts and got other business squared, he filled Jeralt in on details that would help him and his allies defeat the dark mages when they showed up again. He honestly felt safer in their company already. Jeralt's Mercenaries were not a small group by any means, and they had the strength to make their numbers even deadlier. What he wasn't comfortable with were the probing questions Jeralt asked.

"So." The man spoke up as they ate breakfast together. "What's with Dedue? He doesn't seem like the talkative kind of person, and I don't know if it's because he doesn't speak Fodlanese or because he isn't the type to talk."

Dimitri didn't answer at first. He was devouring the fish that Byleth had caught and roasted to perfection. It was a simple meal, but he savored every crunchy and flaky bite. Plus, the fish gave him an excuse to ignore Jeralt a little longer.

But he couldn't keep on eating while he was staring at Dimitri like that. The boy eventually swallowed his morsel and spoke up. "Dedue can speak Fodlanese, but he also doesn’t talk much. He was a prisoner like me, and we helped each other escape." 

Dimitri decided not to mention the deal with their Crests for now. That would be a lot to burden a stranger with, even a stranger as strong as Jeralt.

"Hm." Jeralt of course knew that there was more to the story. "Why did the dark mages want him? You I can see, since you're the crown prince with a lot of money. But Dedue is just a villager, isn't he?"

"They kidnapped as many children as possible for… uh…"

Should he talk about the experiments? Besides being awkward to bring up, he didn't want to remember those horrible memories at a time like this. His reluctance to speak must have been apparent on his face, since Jeralt shook his head.

"Forget I asked. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

"Thank you." Dimitri sighed.

"I do have one last question though." Jeralt's gaze flickered towards Byleth in the distance. "Do the dark mages have any connection to the Church of Seiros?"

"No?" That was an unexpected topic to shift to. "They never mentioned it, at least not in front of me. Why do you ask?"

"Nevermind that." Jeralt shrugged before walking off. Dimitri sat there for a little bit, dumbfounded. He still had many questions about Jeralt and Byleth, but for now, he needed to focus on getting to Rodrigue safely. 

He wasn’t able to evade people’s attention for much longer. Soon after their discussion, Jeralt went around and introduced Dimitri and Dedue to their traveling companions for the next day or two. Dimitri tried his best to keep track of every name, face, and greeting, but there were too many of them. As expected, the other mercenaries were amazed that Byleth somehow found the lost crown prince of Faerghus in the middle of nowhere. Most of them were agreeable towards their new client, but some of them expressed disbelief over this claim. Their minds were changed not by a display of Dimitri’s Crest, but by assurance from their captain. 

To see such trust placed in their leader… Jeralt must not only be a capable man, but a compassionate one. Dimitri already suspected as much from their earlier conversations, but such reaffirment was always nice. Although, their steadfast loyalty reminded him of Ronald’s stubbornness, and the cruel fate it had dealt him in the end. He hoped that these men and women wouldn’t suffer the same way for his sake.

What also came as a pleasant surprise was how well they treated Dedue. The mercenaries thought of him as just another person, not a boy from Duscur. It seemed like the reason for this may be because they came from a variety of backgrounds, so people had to get over their prejudices fairly quickly in order to fit in. One of the mercenaries was even from Duscur herself. Dedue was a bit shocked by this as well, and his wary demeanor slowly dethawed into… well, something less wary. 

Jeralt’s Mercenaries packed up and moved out before they wasted too much daylight. Dimitri ended up on Ronald's horse, which was probably his horse now that its former owner was gone. Dedue elected to stay on the ground, despite Dimitri's insistence. He wanted to give him riding lessons, now that they weren't being chased by enemies, but Dedue's brief experience soured him to all further attempts.

"It's not so bad, being up here." Dimitri said with a small smile on his face. "Besides, you'll have to learn to ride sometime if you're going to stay with me."

"Am I?" Dedue glanced up.

"Are you going to have to ride? I think so, yeah. It's a common pastime for nobility."

"No. Am I going to stay with you?"

That question pierced his heart like an arrow. How could Dedue ask something like that? Dimitri was so wounded by it, he gripped his reins too tightly and caused his horse to whinny in protest.

"Of course you are! Why do you say that?"

"Because…" Dedue looked as if it pained him to speak. "You are a prince. I am a man of Duscur. I do not belong with you."

"Says who?" Dimitri snorted. "I'm the prince, so I should be able to choose the kind of people I want as my friends."

"But what will the others think?"

"You shouldn't care about them. Once we show everyone that Duscur was innocent in the Tragedy, no one will complain about you or treat you badly anymore."

Dedue turned away. He was hiding a peculiar expression on his face, like he admired Dimitri's naivete but didn't believe in it. Dimitri took the opportunity to continue his train of thought.

"Besides, where else could you go? I don't mean to offend, but you don't exactly have a place to go home to."

"I could… join this group. Become a merc."

"If you do that, we won't see each other again. Not much anyway." Dimitri frowned. 

"True." Was all that Dedue said. The two of them stewed in awkward silence before Dimitri couldn't take it anymore. He had to make sure that Dedue felt like he was truly accepted by his side.

"Dedue. I said that we were like family once. Do you remember?"

Dedue redirected his gaze back to Dimitri. He had a wistful sort of look in his eyes. "I do."

"Well, that remains true. Even when we're out of this place, I still need you. You're the only one that went through what I went through, so you're the only one that can really understand me. And in return, I'll protect you from anyone that wants to separate us."

That wistful look was replaced by a smile. "Thank you, Dimitri. But I would still like to learn how to ride later."

"Heh. That's fine with me."

With that settled, the two of them continued on their trek towards House Fraldarius. Dimitri couldn't help but daydream about his much anticipated return. He knew that they were still two days away, but it was so close now. He couldn't wait to bask in the luxuries he didn't have in the dungeons. Hot food, a warm bed, friendly faces, freedom to do whatever he wanted. He even missed the daily tutoring and training sessions with his mentors. 

He shook his head out of the clouds when he noticed Jeralt's daughter staring at them. She then averted her eyes, as if pretending that she wasn't interested in them at all. Dimitri wasn't fooled and guided his horse over to her, with Dedue close by.

"Is there something the matter?" He asked.

Byleth remained quiet, and simply regarded him with a blank stare. Perhaps she didn't have anything to say after all. Just before he turned away, she spoke up.

"Could I see your lance?"

"Oh. This thing?" Dimitri untied the electrical lance from his back. He was surprised it was still intact, razor sharp, and coursing with energy, considering all that it had been through.

Byleth nodded. He handed the weapon over carefully, so it wouldn't shock her. She glanced over it with her usually stony face. It was hard to tell if she was intrigued by it or not, but it certainly had her attention. She jabbed into the air with it several times, sending sparks flying with every thrust.

"Where did you get it?" Byleth asked as she gave the lance back.

"It belonged to the dark mages. They gave this to me for one of their tests."

"Tests?"

Dimitri realized that he didn't really mention their trials to her, or her father, or to anyone else really. Yet somehow, he felt a bit more comfortable talking to her about what they had been through. Maybe it was because she never had much of a reaction to anything, not even when he revealed himself as the presumed dead prince of Faerghus.

"The dark mages used us as test subjects for their experiments. One of the tests had us fighting giant men made of metal." Dimitri ended up sounding a little more excited than he thought he would. "They had huge shields and powerful swords that could fire beams of hot air. The only way that we could beat them was climbing onto their shoulders and stabbing their heads."

Byleth stared at him. Did she not believe him? Dimitri thought that his story might sound too outlandish, but he hoped to get some sort of reaction out of her.

"What about you?" She suddenly turned to Dedue.

"What about me?"

"Did you fight the metal men too?"

Dedue nodded. "I cut down their legs, Dimitri stabbed their heads."

"You must be strong." Dimitri noticed that she was focused more on Dedue when she said that. Was Byleth not impressed by Dimitri's role in that fight? Admittedly, it might take more strength to chop at the Titanus's legs than to skewer their heads…

"Could I see your axe?" She asked without warning.

Dedue unstrapped it from his back and presented it to her. Despite her lean frame, she was able to handle it with relative ease. But she couldn't swing it as smoothly as Dedue did, nor could she scatter the sparks that wreathed it. She spent less time with the axe than with Dimitri's lance.

"You are strong." She commented as she gave it back to Dedue.

"Thank you." Dedue seemed pleased to hear that from her. Dimitri wondered if they were communicating in a way other than talking. It sounded like they understood each other well, with so few words and emotions.

"Could I see your sword?" Now it was Dedue's turn to ask something of Byleth.

She paused with her hand over its pummel. She probably wasn't used to giving strangers her weapon, being someone who relied on her weapon for a living. Eventually, she relented and handed it to him without complaint.

Dedue took it out of its sheath and examined it carefully. Dimitri remembered him expressing interest in the sword earlier, and wondered what he saw in it. He wasn't trained in swordplay, so was he evaluating its craftsmanship as a blacksmith's son? Dimitri saw Dedue's eyes widened as his fingers traced over a faint symbol carved into the blade. 

"Where did you get this?" He almost whispered.

"I don't remember." Byleth replied with a shrug. "My father got it a long time ago, and then gave it to me."

Dedue's expression of surprise quickly faded as he returned the sword to her. "This is a nice sword. Please, take good care of it."

"I will." Byleth nodded. Soon after this exchange, she was called up to the front of the convoy by her father, leaving Dimitri and Dedue by themselves.

The way that Dedue studied Byleth's sword bothered Dimitri. It looked like he wanted it for a split second, but ultimately decided to let Byleth keep it. Why was that? Was it because of the symbol? A theory started forming in his head as he thought about it more.

"Dedue…" Dimitri eventually spoke up. "That sword… Was it made by your father?"

Dedue nodded. Apparently he had nothing more to say on the subject. But Dimitri couldn't let him get away with the silence. 

"Why didn't you tell her that? Maybe we could have bought it from her, or traded something for it."

"I don't use swords." 

"You don't have to use it. Wouldn't you want it as a keepsake of your father or something?"

"I don't need it." Dedue repeated himself. "The sword is hers. I still have memories of my father and family. And…”

“And?”

“... As you said, you are my family now."

Dedue sounded like he took the prince's earlier statements to heart. Dimitri should have been elated to hear that, but his words made him feel melancholic instead. He couldn't quite place a finger on why.

The rest of the day passed peacefully. With no dark mages, bandits, or other obstacles in the road, they made it to a small village where they could spend the night. The entire company couldn't stay in the inn, so Jeralt decided to purchase rooms only for himself, Byleth, Dimitri, Dedue, and a few other mercs. The rest of his men had to stay outside. Dimitri mentioned to Jeralt that he would have been fine camping outdoors for one more night and that they didn't need to spend money for his sake, but Jeralt refused to hear anymore of that kind of talk.

"You're going to pay us back when we get you to Fraldarius anyway." He shrugged. "And when we get there, I can't have you looking and smelling like that."

"Am I that bad?" Dimitri glanced downwards at his clothes. They were stolen only yesterday, but they were already muddied and torn up like he had them for years. All that damage was undoubtedly from the night they spent fumbling around the woods and then some.

"Yes, and you need a haircut too. You don’t look very princely with long, golden locks like that."

Dimitri focused on his hair next. He hadn't had it cut since he was captured at Duscur, so it shouldn't surprise him that it grew past his shoulders. What did surprise him was he didn't notice how long his hair was until now. Probably because he had worse things to worry about. He spared a sidelong glance to Dedue, whose silver hair had grown out a bit since they first met. Since his head was shaved beforehand, he didn't look as girly as Dimitri.

Jeralt threw Dimitri some spare clothes that were actually his size. "Bath first, then a haircut."

The two boys obliged with Jeralt's wishes and washed themselves squeaky clean. When it came time for the haircut, Dimitri didn't expect the captain of the mercenaries to be so careful with his knife. Then again, he had a daughter, so he probably gained a lot of experience with cutting hair.

After they were cleaned and fed, Jeralt forced them to go to bed early, so they could wake up and prepare to move out at dawn. Dimitri should have fallen asleep quickly, considering all that had happened in the past two days. Yet he found himself staring aimlessly at the ceiling. He couldn't keep his eyes closed, as the nightmares would return whenever he dared to drift off. But if he stayed awake, he saw signs of their pursuers in every shadow.

And he was cold. His blankets smothered him, but they didn't provide the warmth he wanted. His eyes wandered over Dedue, who was sleeping soundly in a separate bed. Dimitri stared at his peaceful figure for a good minute or two before making up his mind. He slid out of his bed and into Dedue's, taking care not to disturb him. An intrusive voice told him that he shouldn't keep wanting this, as the others surely wouldn't allow this childish whim to continue once he returned home. Although that was all the more reason to indulge himself now, wasn't it? With Dedue by his side once more, his eyes drooped until they closed, and he drifted away into a peaceful sleep.


	17. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last struggle before the end.

Before Dimitri knew it, the night had passed, and he and Dedue awakened to the slamming of doors. Dimitri immediately thought that the worst had happened, but Jeralt was just being noisy to get everyone up. If he had any thoughts about finding the prince laying next to a boy from Duscur, he didn't express them.

Biting gusts of wind and snow greeted them as soon as they left the village. There was supposed to be only half a day left until they reached the Fraldarius manor, but they might end up needing more time due to the weather. As Jeralt's Mercenaries marched onwards, their surroundings grew whiter and the winds fiercer. Dimitri trembled under his cloak as he watched Dedue trudge through the accumulating ice. He had offered him a seat on his horse again, but the other boy declined. 

The simple snowstorm turned into a blizzard. The freezing gales cut through their cloaks and howled around their ears. Jeralt told everyone that they would stop at the next available shelter they found to wait out the blizzard, but they wouldn't be able to see any such shelters even if one was in front of them. 

However, Dimitri did see a grim look on the man's face. He rode closer to him so Jeralt could hear him as he shouted through the wind. "Is there something wrong?"

Jeralt took a moment to respond. "This storm… it doesn't feel natural."

"What makes you think that?" Dimitri asked as he shivered. The cold gusts and gathering frost felt very natural to him.

"It came on too suddenly. And, if you look closely enough, you can see that there's not a cloud in the sky."

Jeralt pointed upwards. Dimitri squinted and found what he was saying was true. In between bursts of snowy winds, he spotted clear blue skies overhead.

"So are you saying…"

"Sir!" A mercenary ran up to Jeralt. "We've lost Laurence and Fillia in the storm! They're nowhere to be found!" 

"Damnit!" Jeralt swore as he halted the march. "Everyone, look sharp and stay together! Huddle around the prince!"

The not-insignificant remainder of Jeralt's Mercenaries gathered around Dimitri and Dedue. At least this way it would be harder to lose them, but they couldn't advance like this. The enemy would either converge all at once and overwhelm them, or wait until the cold tired them out and made them easy pickings.

Which is why Jeralt had to start strategizing a different approach. "Firstly, Elen. I need you to ward everyone here. We can't have anyone falling to any nasty spells."

"Of course." A cleric raised her hand and casted a soothing white light over the assembled group. Dimitri felt a little warmer already from her spell.

"Phiona, Francis, and Jeff, you're with me. We're going to flush out these mages or whoever else is causing this."

"Yes sir." Three cavaliers readied themselves to ride out into the storm.

"Becca, Willis, and Mariel will support us from afar with arrows and magic. Byleth, take Josh and Nia on cleanup duty."

Byleth and the rest of the aforementioned mercenaries nodded. Two sword fighters joined her side while two archers and a mage grouped up together.

"Everyone else, protect the two kids. Our enemies will be targeting them, so you'll be facing whatever slips past us."

The remainder of Jeralt's troops consisted of Amelie the lance soldier, Harold the axe fighter, Walter the archer, Ricardo the mage, and Elen the cleric. They seemed quite capable, but would it be enough? He thought that this crew had enough numbers to beat them, but now they had to contend with the conjured storm and who knows how many reinforcements that the dark mages obtained.

Jeralt, Byleth, and the others disappeared into the swirling whiteness, leaving Dimitri and Dedue alone with the other mercenaries. Dimitri didn't feel comfortable with just sitting back and letting other people take care of his enemies. He told himself that they had a lot more expertise in combat, so if he charged out there himself, he would just be hindering them. Unfortunately, his rationale couldn't completely ease his worries, only suppress them.

They continued to stand by, waiting for further orders from Jeralt. Either the vanguards were doing a good job with keeping them at bay, or the dark mages didn't want to go after Dimitri and Dedue yet. Regardless of the reason, Dimitri held onto his lance tightly as he listened to the screams of men through the whistling windstorm. The longer he stayed behind, the more anxious he became. He glanced at Dedue, who was also prepared for the worst by holding an axe in his hands. But with the falling snow, it was hard to tell whether he was just as antsy as him.

"Over there!" The archer shouted as he fired off an arrow. It struck the heart of a dark mage who was about to cast a spell. As he fell down, two more emerged from the blizzard with Miasma orbs already in hand. One flung sphere missed wildly and the other was on its way to strike Dimitri's mount but was intercepted by Harold. He let out a loud cry as he collapsed into the snow. Elen was already working on healing him with white magic and prayers while the Amelie, Walter, and Ricardo worked together to beat back the enemy mages.

Dimitri gripped his lance tighter as he watched the chaos unfold around him. Elen, who was patching up Harold's wounds, noticed his restlessness and shook her head. “We need you to stay safe. Please, stay back and let us handle this.”

Her words did little to comfort him. "But I can't just watch you all risk your lives without doing something!" 

"You are doing something for us by staying out of harm's way." The cleric replied back as gently as she could.

A blood-curdling yell interrupted their short-lived conversation. Ricardo's hand, once smouldering with the embers of fire magic, now reached out to his allies, covered in blood. He let out a softer but just as grisly gasp as his attacker pulled a shortsword out of his chest and kicked him to the ground. Dimitri thought the worst for a brief moment, but he heard a gurgle from the fallen man. Then again, being critically injured instead of dead was not much of an improvement in a situation like this.

"No!" Amelie rushed to the mage's side and held up her lance at the last possible second. The shortsword clashed against her weapon, causing sparks to fly. She took a step back and her opponent followed, delivering swift blows after swift blows. This foe was not like the inelegant dark mages that trailed them earlier. She wore a skintight, black outfit that left little to the imagination and sported flowing hair so white, it put the snowflakes around her to shame. She also sprouted three long tendrils from her back that she used to slice at Amelie's legs. 

The mercenary tripped and fell. She stared up at the assassin with determination in her eyes and a lance in her hands. Still, this did not look like a battle she could win. Dimitri gritted his teeth and spurred his horse forward without warning. He heard shouts rang out from behind him, but he paid them no heed. He couldn't let anyone else die for his sake!

Dimitri was taught how to ride horses and how to fight with a lance, but never both at the same time. He realized that as he closed in on the assassin. Still, he aimed the tip at her head as best he could. As she whirled around to the sound of clattering hooves, a voice deeper than what he thought he could muster escaped Dimitri's throat.

"Leave her alone!"

His spear missed her completely. Dimitri pulled on the reins of his horse to stop it from running past her. As he pivoted back towards the assassin, he found her standing there, dumbstruck. Then she let out a raucous laugh.

"What was that?!" She jeered. "If that's the best you can do, then I wonder why Bias wants you back so badly!"

A battle cry behind her caused her to spin around and lash out with her sword. Dedue barely managed to evade her attack, but the near miss was enough to infuriate Dimitri. He spurred his horse into a gallop and raced towards the assassin without caring how badly his last charge went.

Dedue grunted as he blocked another slash with his axe. His defenses weren't going to last long against a speedy opponent like her. Luckily for him, he had other allies besides Dimitri in this fight. An arrow from behind the assassin buried into the spot on her back where her tails grew from. She stumbled and fell to one knee just as Dimitri drove his lance through her shoulder. A jolt of electricity stunned her and caused her to shriek. The horse whinnied in alarm, but Dimitri urged it to keep running and make its way back towards the others. As it sprinted, Dimitri dragged her through the frozen earth and the horse's hooves trampled the tails that tried to stab its legs. When they finally reunited with the mercenaries, Harold swung his axe down at her head, putting her out of her misery. Dimitri didn't flinch at the bloody spectacle, although he did notice Dedue turning his head away.

"What were you thinking?!" Amelie did not sound grateful for her rescue. Instead, she was downright livid.

"I'm sorry, but I had to do something!" Dimitri apologized as he got off his horse. Mounted combat may have worked well this time, but he was still far from comfortable with it.

"You two could have gotten killed." Walter noted. "You were lucky that my arrow connected, otherwise you would have been done for."

"I'm sorry." Dimitri repeated.

"That's enough of that." Harold shook his head. "If they're sending these kinds of goons after us, we need to rejoin the captain and his kid."

The others agreed with his idea. After Elen did her best to heal the bloodied Ricardo, and after he was loaded onto the horse, they set off towards the sounds of battle. They soon ran into Byleth and two injured myrmidons leaning on her for support. Elen rushed to their side to tend to their wounds.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, sounding neither surprised nor irate.

"We got ambushed from behind." Amelie answered. "And Ricardo is out of commission."

"So are Nia and Josh." Byleth motioned towards the aforementioned people that Elen was working on. "We were attacked by a pair of assassins with tails. One is dead, the other fled."

"Did the one that ran happen to have long, white hair?" Dimitri piped up.

"No."

Dimitri scowled. How many of these agile executioners were out there in this storm? Mages were no longer much of a problem thanks to their earlier ward spell, but they couldn't protect themselves against the assassins when they used the storm to cloak their movements. 

"Byleth!" A voice rang out from ahead. One of Jeralt's cavaliers ran up to her, his horse breathing heavily from the sprint. "Captain Jeralt has spotted the mage causing the storm! He is requesting you and anyone that is still able to fight to come with us!"

Byleth turned her steely gaze towards the others. With injured men among them, they had to leave some healthy fighters behind to protect them. After a brief moment of contemplation, she directed her attention to Dimitri and Dedue.

"Can you still fight?" She asked both of them.

"Byleth, you can't lead our clients into further danger!" Amelie shouted.

"They are safer with me than with you." Byleth's unintended insult made Amelie flinch. "You, Harold, Walter, and Elen need to guard the wounded. If Dimitri and Dedue are with me, the enemy will focus on us instead of you."

With her point made, Amelie simmered down. Byleth glanced back at the two boys, still waiting for their response.

"We will go with you." Dimitri said confidently while Dedue nodded.

Byleth didn't say anything else. She just turned and followed Jeralt's cavalier into the snowstorm. The pair trailed after her diligently, and they reached Jeralt quickly enough. Dimitri noticed with a pang in his heart that one of his horsemen (Francis?) was missing.

"Why are the kids with you?" Jeralt narrowed his eyes at them.

"You said to bring anyone that can still fight."

"I didn't mean- ugh. Nevermind." Jeralt waved away his concerns. "The mage that's causing the storm is up ahead. Once we get rid of this blasted blizzard, taking out the others should be much easier. Maybe they'll even run away. Byleth, you're in charge of the kids. Don't let anyone harm a hair on their heads. Everyone else, with me."

Jeralt spurred his horse into a gallop, followed by the remaining two cavaliers, two mages, and the single archer. Byleth ran after them at a more deliberate pace so that Dimitri and Dedue didn't fall behind. 

Dimitri's legs were on fire and the rest of his body ached badly from injuries and fatigue sustained from his escape, but he forced himself to power through the pain. The white-haired assassin mentioned Bias, which led him to believe that their wicked captor was here. Maybe she was the one conjuring the storm. Even though she helped them before, Dimitri saw no point in keeping her alive now. If she was going to go back on what she said, about letting them escape just so they wouldn't be in Thales's clutches, then he would not make the same mistake twice.

Flashes of lightning, fire, and dark magic lit up the area ahead of them while the clang of steel rang out. The winds were too fierce to make out any faces, so Dimitri stepped closer to the din, lance in hand. He had to find out who the lead mage was, and if she was Bias, he was going to drive this spear straight through her heart and wringe all life out of her throat-

"Dimitri!" Dedue cried out as he tackled him to the ground. A ball of dark magic flew through the space they once occupied. Dimitri was temporarily blinded by the snow kicked into his face, but he could hear frantic footsteps hurrying their way. He instinctively flipped over and jabbed his lance out. Once his vision cleared, he found that he had stabbed at nothing, because Byleth intercepted the attack from the incoming assassin.

"Are you hurt?" Dedue asked.

"No. I think I'm ok." Dimitri quickly got up and surveyed his surroundings. A band of dark mages had targeted them, but there was only one assassin among their ranks, and he was occupied with Byleth. The battle between the two sword wielders was so ferocious, Dimitri wisely chose not to interfere for now. 

Instead, he charged at the mages, with Dedue by his side. Dimitri deftly stepped to the side to avoid another magic missile, and then retaliated by shanking the mage's torso. He hastily spun around and launched the body on his spear into another mage. Ominous incantations from behind alerted him to yet another mage, but Dimitri moved too slowly to dodge him completely. A Miasma spell struck his right leg and he screamed from the hellish pain. If a magic attack hurt him this much, that meant the ward spell from earlier was waning. Dedue suddenly appeared behind the offending mage's back and struck him down with a heavy swing.

"Dimitri!" Dedue cried out.

"I'm fine!" He lied through gritted teeth. They still had three more mages to defeat, and the assassin. He did his best to ignore the pain and turned towards the mage closest to him. He must have had a horrendous, beastly expression on his face that caused his opponent to recoil. But it did not stop the mages from grouping up and chanting in unison. With his bad leg, he wouldn't be able to dodge whatever massive spell they were conjuring. He could only watch helplessly as the wintery air grew thick with the acrid taste of dark magic.

Dedue stepped in front of Dimitri, ready to shield him from the combined attack. Dimitri shook his head as he objected. "Don't do this! You're just going to get hurt!"

"You are hurting more than me." Dedue raised his axe. "If I am hit, I live. If you are hit…"

"That's not how it works!" Dimitri shouted. There has to be a way to save them both. But he was running out of time to think as the magic accumulated.

So he didn't think. His Crest of Blaiddyd roared to life as he threw his lance at the center mage with all his strength. It pierced straight into and through his chest, leaving behind a bloody, gaping hole. Dedue followed his example and hurled his axe at another mage. The bolt axe wasn't made for tossing, but his Crest forced it to fly through the air and bury into its target. With two mages down, the third mage lost control of the spell they had built up together. It collapsed with a magnificent explosion, reducing the three robed men and their thrown weapons to dust.

Dimitri leaned on Dedue's shoulder as he panted. He didn't want to slow down, but he was absolutely exhausted. His body couldn't go on any further. Fortunately for him, the blizzard died down into a drifting, snowy breeze without warning. It was as if the skies had heard his pleas, although Dimitri soon became aware of the real reason for the storm's disappearance when he glanced around. Jeralt stood over the broken body of the mages' leader; a skinny woman with short black hair styled into a bob. Not Bias. A wave of disappointment washed through Dimitri, followed by a bigger sense of relief that calmed him down.

They won the battle. At least, most of them did. A swish of a sword reminded Dimitri that there was one enemy left. Byleth was still fighting against her assassin, who backed off once he realized that most of his allies were gone. He shot a sheepish stare at Dimitri and Dedue before shrugging.

"Looks like the party's over." He waved two fingers at them in a mock salute. "I'll catch you guys later."

The assassin vanished in a flash of light, just before Byleth stabbed the ground he once stood on. She wore her characteristic stoic expression as she glanced around, perhaps hoping to find where he went, but there was no sign of him. Since he was gone, Byleth turned her attention to Dedue and Dimitri and helped the latter stay upright by offering her a shoulder to both of them.

"What happened here?" Jeralt asked as soon as he came over.

"It wasn't her fault." Dimitri blurted out. "Your daughter was protecting us from an assassin, while the two of us tried to defeat several mages by ourselves."

Jeralt scrutinized his battered body, then the other two, then sighed. "I'm not blaming anyone. We just gotta patch you up before we head to House Fraldarius. Where did Elen go?"

"Over here." The cleric was at his side in an instant. Her hands glowed with white magic that she used to heal Dimitri's legs and other wounds. Her entire body quaked from using too much magic in such a short period of time, but she went ahead and patched up Dedue and Byleth as well.

While Jeralt, Byleth, and the other mercenaries sorted out the state of things, Dimitri found himself staring into the distance. Now that the blizzard was gone, he spied, atop a hill covered with snowy trees, a manor that awakened some memories that felt like they came from a lifetime ago.

"House Fraldarius." He murmured. He nudged Dedue with an elbow and, once he had his attention, pointed up at the mansion. The two boys shared a smile with each other.

* * *

The soldiers out in front were probably not expecting a banged up mercenary company to walk up to the gates of the estate. They eyed them warily from underneath their steel helmets and grasped their lances even tighter.

"My name is Jeralt Eisner, of Jeralt's Mercenaries." The captain of their group announced in a booming voice. "I'm escorting someone who is probably of interest to Duke Fraldarius."

"Who would that be?" One of the guards asked. That was Dimitri's cue to spur his horse forward. His courage failed him for a moment when he saw that the soldiers didn't recognize him. But he took a deep breath, recollected himself, and summoned the image of his Crest over an outstretched palm.

"I am Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Five months ago, I was kidnapped in Duscur by a shadowy organization of dark mages. I hope you understand why I need to urgently speak with Rodrigue."

The guards stood there in stunned silence. It took them a moment to pick up their jaws off the ground and hurriedly open the gates. One of the guards ran off to alert Rodrigue of the sudden reappearance of Faerghus's lost prince. He apparently spread the news to everyone else along the way, as people stopped what they were doing to gawk at the entourage making their way to the front doors of House Fraldarius. Dimitri didn't mind the stares at all, mostly because he was finally living the moment he dreamed of for so long. He was in a blissful trance until the giant doors of the manor opened up and he noticed Dedue lingering behind him. Without another word, he grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him along.

Rodrigue was already waiting for them inside. He hadn't changed much since Dimitri last saw him. His raven colored wavy hair and shadow of a goatee remained the same. What was new were the eyebags and wrinkles that marred his otherwise youthful face. The boy standing next to him had changed more than his father. He wore his dark hair in a bun, his face was made with more angles than curves now, and a permanent scowl had settled into his stare.

Still, that scowl vanished as Felix ran up to Dimitri and pulled him into a tight hug. Dimitri gasped from the surprise of it all, not from the pain that shot through his injured limbs. Rodrigue approached him more carefully, although he still embraced the long lost prince with the same amount of joy and love as his son.

Dimitri cried big, fat tears into the clothes of the Fraldarius men as he clung to them with all his might. He was afraid that if he let go, they would slip away like remnants of a long lost dream. Despite his fears, his heart swelled with relief, gratitude, jubilation, and other emotions that he couldn’t name. Especially when Rodrigue whispered to him the words he longed to hear ever since he was imprisoned.

"Dimitri... Welcome home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end of the first part! Thank you for reading! It's been a blast to write this and see everyone's reactions. The next part is involves more court drama and politics and less experimentation, so that's why I decided to split it into two stories. I hope to have the sequel out sometime, although I can't guarantee it'll be anytime soon. I made this story part of a series you can subscribe to so you won't miss it when I do post it.
> 
> Also as a bonus, have a sneak peek at the sequel that I've already written up~
> 
> * * *
> 
> His throat seized up over what he had to say next. Dimitri pushed himself to speak through the painful lump in his throat. “The torture didn’t stop when they finished their evaluation. I… don’t remember much of what happened afterwards. But they changed me.”
> 
> “Changed you how?” Rodrigue inquired with the gentlest of tones. 
> 
> Dimitri hesitated. It was getting harder and harder for him to continue this conversation. Instead of giving into his second thoughts, he took a deep breath and forced the answer out of his mouth.
> 
> "They changed my Minor Crest of Blaiddyd into a Major Crest."
> 
> Rodrigue slowly leaned back into his chair. The expression on his face indicated that he wanted to believe Dimitri, but such a claim was too absurd to accept readily. To prove himself, he held out his right hand and concentrated the power of his Crest in his palm. The big, starry shape of the Crest of Blaiddyd flickered into existence over his outstretched hand. It shone brightly like a brilliant blue sun. A large symbol with a harsh glow such as this could only be manifested by in Major Crest Bearers, as Rodrigue undoubtedly knew from his son.
> 
> “How is this possible?” He murmured under his breath.
> 
> “I don’t know.” Dimitri shook his head sadly as he lowered his hand. “But I wasn’t the only one who was changed.”


End file.
